Burning Flame
by faithy waithy
Summary: Kaya grew up in the south pole with no memory of her past. When Zuko comes to capture the avatar flashes of the past come to her. Kaya soon discovers she's not just any ordinary girl, and that there are many things to discover about herself. Join her on her quest to discovering who she is. Follows the television series. Read and Review. (Sister fic). Complete and Sequel is up.
1. The beginning

**So this is the first chapter to a story I thought of... I wanted to see if you guys like the first chapter and want me to continue. This is the first time I'm doing an Avatar The Last Airbender story, so tell me what you think.**

**I only own Kaya =)**

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The sun was just beginning to set over the southern water tribe. Gran-Gran and I were seated by the fire I had just started, and I was sowing one of Sokka's trousers back together. As I placed the needle over and under and back again, I looked over at the sun with longing. The sun was the only thing that gave me strength each and every day.

"I wonder where your siblings are. It's getting late and we need to set up supper before it gets too dark," Gran-Gran- or Kanna as the villagers called her- said.

Going back to my string and needle, I said, "They'll be here soon. They probably went out on the stream to fish. I'm getting tired of penguin meat myself."

She smiled at me, and placed a gloved hand on my shoulder. "Why don't you go inside 'til your siblings get here. I'll finish that." Looking at my gray haired blue eyed guardian, I smiled weakly and handed over my stitch work. Then carefully standing, I said, "I'll go see if I can get some more wood instead." Gran-Gran wasn't too happy about that.

As I walked out toward the large snow wall of the village, I pulled my blue glove off and lit a flame in my hand. The flame warmed me as I walked calmly through the village. No one in the village seemed to care about my ability, since they had known I was a fire bender for more than eight years now. They all treated me like I was one of them.

Leaving the village- which was a small dugout with about ten tents- I walked toward the ocean searching for stray pieces of wood. The waves would carry logs and other scraps of wood to shore, some pieces coming from the land of the southern air temple.

Walking over to look into the water, I knelt at the edge of the icy shore and stared at my reflection. My black hair was falling loosely down my body below my chest. It was wavy and the color of coal. My eyes were unique though, seeing as they were a deep yellow with a tint of orange. It was almost the color of fire. The village people called me 'fire girl' because of my fire nation qualities.

My body was strong from years of hard work and labor, and I was starting to get my fifteen year old curves. If their were older boys in the village I'm sure they'd be trying to court me by now. Sadly Sokka was the only boy even close to my age. The others were already old enough to fight.

Something unbelievably bright suddenly appeared out of no where, and I pulled away from my reflection covering my eyes as the blue light shooting up toward the sky blinded me. Then with terror I turned and ran back to the village, not sure what had just happened. When I got to the village everyone was talking about what had happened anxiously.

Gran-Gran was relieved to see I was safe, and she asked if I had seen my siblings. Shaking my head, I looked toward the entrance of the village. "I'm sure they'll be fine. Hopefully they have enough sense not to mess with whatever created that powerful source."

"This is being said of the boy and girl who almost were eaten by leopard seals," she said, her eyes scanning the entrance worriedly.

"They'll be here soon," I promised, and then went inside the tent to finish my chores.

Sure enough Sokka and Katara arrived back at the village, only behind them walked an extremely large creature. It was a fifteen foot bison, with an arrow trailing from his head to tail. The whole village gasped at the sight of the beast, and I grabbed a stick from the kindle pile just in case I needed protection. "What the Agni is that thing?" I asked, slowly making my way toward my siblings.

Sokka ignored me carrying an unconscious twelve year old over his shoulder. Sokka was my age, with muscular arms, a lean figure, brown hair in a ponytail, and calm blue eyes. He carried a boy with strange colored clothing and blue arrows on his head and arms.

"Kaya!" Katara cried, running over to me. My sister was a year younger, with long brown hair she kept in a braid, and sky blue eyes. She was excited when she approached me, and I stared at her in confusion.

"We found an air bender! He really is an air bender!" she exclaimed, and then ran over to a shocked Gran-Gran.

First a blue light, then a giant furry bison, and now an air bender. This day couldn't get any weirder.

That night I slept beside Katara since the boy, Aang, was on my sleeping mat. Katara told me softly as we lied down, how they had found the boy in an ice burg, and how it was her water bending that had helped to find the boy. Impressed with my sisters bending skills, I whispered, "You're getting there." She nodded and fell asleep. Moments later I did so too.

When I woke up the next day, I found that I was the second to last person in the tent. Aang slept on my mat still, only he was sweating and his eyes were tight as if he were having a nightmare. Immediately I got out of bed and walked over to him. My sister walked in though and began to shout Aang's name, making me back off and watch as Aang shot up from where he lay.

Then as he was putting his shirt on, Katara grabbed his hand excitedly and pulled him out of the tent. He managed to grab a strange looking staff as he went. Rubbing my tired eyes, I pulled on my fur boots and followed them.

"Aang. This is the entire village," Katara began, and immediately I noticed the whole village had gathered near our small tent. "Entire village, Aang." Aang politely bowed at everyone, but they all shot him wary glances.

"Why are they all staring at me like that? Did Appa sneeze on me?" he asked, looking at his clothes. Gran-gran walked over to him saying, "Well no one has seen an air bender in a hundred years. We thought they were extinct, until my granddaughter and grandson found you."

"Extinct?" Aang asked, his eyes wide with shock.

Stepping forward, I immediately said, "That doesn't mean their dead though. They could just be in hiding."

Katara smiled at me, then said to Aang, "This is my older sister Kaya. My father took her in when he found her on a fire navy ship our tribe had destroyed." Then she turned back to Gran-Gran. "and this is my grandmother."

Grandma nodded. "Call me Gran-Gran."

Sokka suddenly walked over to us and grabbed Aang's staff. "What is this? A weapon? You can't stab anything with this."

Aang smirked and held his hand out. The staff flew back at him making me jump in shock. "It's not for stabbing. It's for air bending."

He then undid a latch on the staff and two giant orange wings flew out on each side. Sokka gasped, while Katara and I watched with fascination. Children excitedly cried, "Magic trick! Do it again!

"Not Magic… Air bending. It lets me control the air currents around my glider and fly."

Sokka rolled his eye and said, "You know last time I checked, humans can't fly."

Aang smirked and shot a wink at me, then said to Sokka, "Check again." He then jumped up and his glider grabbed air as he soared above us. He flew for a good minute, 'til he started showing off too much and flew into my brothers watch tower. I broke into laughter as my brother ran over to the tower and got pelted with snow.

Aang managed to get back on the ground, and Sokka tried to get out of the pile of snow. "Great. You're an air bender, Katara's a water bender, and Kaya's a fire bender. Together you can just waste time all day long."

Aang looked at Katara excitedly. "You're a water bender!"

Katara blushed and said, "Well sort of. Not yet." She then was sent away to do chores by Gran-Gran, while I stared at Aang curiously. Aang felt my gaze on him, and he turned to smile at me.

"So you're an air bender like Katara said," I said, looking at his foreign clothes curiously. He stared me up and down asking, "And you're really a fire bender?"

Pulling off my blue glove, I breathed in slowly and a flame appeared enveloping my hand. "The one and only of the southern water tribe," I said, then extinguished my flame.

Aang followed me as I went to tend the fire, one of my main chores. The children of the tribe followed our moves curiously as we walked. Aang stopped to play with the children, and I watched with a smile as he got his tongue stuck to his staff. The children laughed and I giggled myself. Aang was a huge goofball from what I could tell.

After mending the fire, sowing more of Sokka's trousers, and preparing lunch which was fish soup, I made my way out toward the ocean. The fish would be done cooking in an hour, so that gave me plenty of time to practice my fire bending.

Taking off my water tribe gloves, I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes. As my breath entered my body, I felt power build inside me. With a quick jerk of my hand, I released my energy sending a hot fireball out toward the ocean. The fire became nothing as it grew farther from me.

Then I breathed in again wanting to try a move I'd tried before but failed numerous times. Thrusting my foot forward, I forced energy toward my heel hoping I could shoot fire from it. For the first time ever a flame shot through my boot, only it caught my fur boot on fire and I had to stomp on the snow to put it out.

When I got back to the village, I wasn't upset at all by my burned shoe. I was happy I had learned to do something new without anyone's help. Hopefully I'd become extremely skilled in fire bending.

When Katara saw what I had done to my boot, she rolled her eyes and told me not to do it again. Then she helped me sow the boot back together so it looked somewhat half way decent.

Later we went to see what Aang was up to. We found Sokka too, who then found Aang playing around with his soldier kids. "Stop!" Sokka exclaimed, running over to where the kids were using Appa's tail as a slide. "Stop it right now! What's wrong with you. We don't have time for fun and games with a war going."

Sighing, I ran over to Sokka and grabbed the spear he had picked up. "Calm down Sokka. They're just kids having some fun. They're too young to worry about the war."

Aang hopped down from off of Appa asking, "What war? What are you talking about?"

Sokka looked at him bewildered, while I stared with shock. How did he not know about the war?

"You're kidding, right?" Sokka asked, then shot me a look of amazement. Shrugging, I went to explain, but before I could Aang shouted, "Penguin!" Looking behind me I saw a penguin at the edge of village. Then Aang ran faster than I had thought possible leaving the three of us behind.

"He's kidding. Right?" Katara and I both looked at Sokka and shrugged.

Katara then set out to follow where Aang had gone, and I went to take the children home while Sokka went somewhere to pout. When I finally got back to my tent, I saw Gran-Gran was seated by the fire poking at the fish.

"Where's your sister?" Gran-Gran asked, noticing I had arrived but Katara hadn't.

Taking a seat beside her by the fire, I said, "She walked off with Aang… I think they were going penguin sledding."

Gran-Gran frowned and stared at the fire. "She's such a wild girl. Too much of her mother in her."

Nodding, I added some more kindle to the fire.

An hour passed of sitting by the fire with Gran-Gran, and then a terrifying sound echoed across the south pole. It was the sound of a flare being shot across the sky, and the bright fire ball sent dread through my skin. "No Katara… You didn't," I whispered to myself, knowing perfectly well she did.

The flare was still in the sky when Aang and Katara returned to the village. By that point the whole village had gathered at the edge of the town, Sokka standing at the head of the group. As they approached, a bunch of the children ran forward with excitement.

Sokka stepped forward and yelled, "I knew it! You signaled the fire navy with that flare. You're leading them straight to us aren't you?"

Sighing, I stepped in between Sokka and Aang. "You don't know what really happened. Just let them explain."

Sokka pushed me behind him saying, "Stay out of this Kaya."

Katara jumped forward then saying, "Aang didn't do anything. It was an accident."

Aang nodded and looked embarrassed. "Yeah… We were on the ship and there was this booby-trap and we- we boobied right into it."

Gran-Gran gasped and said, " Katara! You shouldn't have gone on that ship! Now we could all be in danger!"

Aang looked guilty and immediately defended her. "Don't blame Katara… I brought her there. It's my fault."

"Aha! The traitor confesses!" Sokka shouted. "Warriors! Away from the enemy! The foreigner is banished from our village!"

"Sokka!" I cried. "Don't you think that's a bit unfair? It was an accident!"

"Yeah Sokka… You're making a mistake!" Katara shouted, tears forming in her eyes.

"I'm keeping my promise to dad. I'm protecting you and Kaya from threats like him!" he said.

"Aang's not our enemy! Don't you see? Aang's brought us something we haven't had in a long time. Fun!"

Sighing, I couldn't take it anymore and I walked away from the group. All this anger and tension was giving me a headache, and I knew if I stuck around there wouldn't be anything I could do to help. Once Sokka made a decision you couldn't stop him.

A few hours passed, and I watched as Katara moped about. Sokka had banished Aang, and after Aang had left Katara had refused to speak to any of us. She was mad, and I understood why. Her only chance at becoming a bender had walked away.

Sokka suddenly ran passed me, a spear in his hand and war paint covering his face. "What are you doing?" I asked, staring him up and down in shock. He was wearing the traditional water tribe battle gear.

"The fire nation is coming. I saw there ship in the distance. They'll be here any second now," he said, grabbing his boomerang and putting it in the pouch on his back.

"Why? What do they want from us?" I asked, following him as he ran toward the edge of the city.

He stopped and turned to me with strong eyes. "I don't know. But stay near Gran-Gran at all times."

Nodding, I promised I would as he climbed the wall to stand ready to fight. Rushing back to the city, I helped getting the elderly in their tents and the children to safety. Then the earth started to shake and I knew Sokka was right. The fire nation had come.

Running to the midst of the village I watched in terror as the wall surrounding the village began to tumble and fall. Katara and I gasped when we saw a dark shadow begin to form that soon could be a seen as a huge war ship. As it cut through our icy terrain I ran over to my grandma helping her stay up.

The ship finally came to a stop, and Sokka was pushed back as his snow wall avalanched to the ground. Then the enormous steel ship opened creating a hard straight platform for whoever was on the ship to walk down.

A figure began to walk down the ramp, and behind him walked about ten soldiers in fire nation uniform. Staring closely at the man in the front of line, I could tell that it wasn't a man but a teenager. Stepping slightly closer, I strained my eyes to look closer at him but I immediately felt Katara pull me back. "What are you doing?" she asked, yanking me back beside her.

Staring at the gold eyes of the scarred faced boy, I couldn't help but feel I knew him from somewhere. It was like I had seen his face before, but I couldn't think of where.

Suddenly Sokka took off running toward the leader, his water tribe battle club in his hand. Shouting a battle cry, he went to attack the leader but the armored teenager kicked Sokka's weapon and then Sokka's head knocking him into the snow below.

"Sokka!" I cried, running over to him while the leader and his men continued toward the tribe. Helping him out of the snow, I immediately turned back to the fire navy monster and glared.

The teenage boy, who's scar was a burn covering his left eye, had approached my village and was scanning the small group we had. "Where are you hiding him?" he asked, looking at the twenty people of our tribe. Walking back beside my Gran-Gran, I shot him a dirty look to let him know he wasn't welcome.

He then did something that made me boil in rage. He reached forward and grabbed my grandma pulling her beside him. "He'd be about this age! Master of all elements!" He threw her back then, and Katara and I caught her helping her straighten.

The monster then shot a gust of fire at us, and in fury I jumped forward and quickly grabbed his hand to stop the flame. He was stunned by my hand on his flaming one, and taking in a deep breath I threw fire at him with my other hand sending him flying back.

"How dare you touch my Gran-Gran like that? You have no respect for anyone!"

He was shocked I had been able to fire bend, but quickly he shot a flame at me and I fell back with a shriek hitting the snow. Standing, the prince stepped right in front of me and glared down at me. "I'll deal with you later traitor!" He then looked back at my tribe and yelled, "I know you're hiding him!"

A holler rang from behind the intruder, and my brother who had a footprint on his forehead, came running at him with his club. The leader ducked and Sokka flew over him landing on his butt. Then a fireball came at Sokka, but he dodged and threw his boomerang at the fire bender who dodged it easily.

Katara helped me up as a little boy named Kale threw a spear at Sokka shouting, "Show no fear!" Sokka caught it easily and ran forward ready to slice through the furious teenager. He easily broke the spear with his arms, and then grabbed the rest of it from Sokka. Hitting it against Sokka's head until he fell on the snow , the teen broke it into two and threw it on the ground.

Then out of no where, Sokka's boomerang suddenly came flying back and hit the teen in the head causing him to lose his balance for a moment. When he regained himself his hands immediately erupted with fire.

Gasping in terror, I rushed forward and stepped in front of Sokka lighting my own hand with fire. "Stop this! Who ever you're looking for isn't here!" I yelled, glaring at the leader. He was stunned by my actions, but immediately his eyes narrowed.

Then before he could fire at me something slid by knocking the creep off his feet and onto his face. Aang slid around the group of villagers and splashed snow onto the village kids faces. The kids all broke into cheers, while the rest of us looked relieved.

The penguin Aang was on threw him off its back, and then waddled away. "Hey Katara. Hey Sokka," he began, and then glanced over at me. "Hey Kaya." Smiling widely, I nodded at him.

Sokka sighed. "Hey Aang. Thanks for coming."

Aang then stood and got into a fighting position. The soldiers began to surround him, while their leader got into his own fighting stance. Then Aang shot a blast of snow at them, and the hot headed monster melted the snow with annoyance.

"Looking for me," Aang said, and immediately the world seemed to go quiet.

"You're the air bender… You're the avatar?" the teenager practically spat, his eyes his full of fury.

The Avatar? Aang was the Avatar? My eyes went wide with shock.

"I've spent years preparing for this encounter. Training, meditating… You're just a child!"

Aang looked slightly startled by this, saying, "Well you're just a teenager."

The 'teenager' must have not liked this comment, because a second later he shot a blast of fire at Aang who deflected it with his staff. As he circled around the village, the hot head shot him over and over again. One final blast shot over Aang almost hitting the villagers. Everyone shrieked, while I tried to deflect some of the flames from the children.

Aang then surrendered, saying he'd go with the enemies if the teenager promised to leave everyone alone. Hot head agreed and two soldiers stepped over to confiscate the staff and Aang.

Katara rushed forward as they began to walk away, and Katara cried, "No Aang. Don't do this."

Aang smiled weakly at her as he was escorted away. "Don't worry Katara, it will be okay."

No it won't, I thought to myself. As the group of fire navy soldiers began to board the ship, I shot forward earning shouts from my family. "Let him go!" I yelled, and shot a flame straight at one of the soldiers. The teenager must have known I would fight, because he was in front of me suddenly, his hard hand grabbing onto my own.

Pulling my hands behind me, I shouted in pain as he tied my hands with some rope from his pocket. My sister and brother started to come toward me with terror, but my captor grabbed me around the waist and held a flame to my face. "I'm taking this traitor with me. If anyone follows, I'll burn her so bad you won't be able to recognize her!"

As Katara and Sokka backed off with terror, I was yanked toward the ship. Of course I didn't go down without a fight. The whole time he forced me up the walkway, I screamed and kicked at him trying to pull from his grasp. He managed to get me to the top of the vessel, and yelled over my screams, "Head a course for the fire nation. I'm going home."

As the ships ramp began to shut, I tried one last attempt to free myself. Something hard hit me on the side of the head though, and I immediately lost unconsciousness.

_A girl of five ran across the grass, her gold eyes shining with excitement. "Zuko!" She cried, running over to a boy who was sitting beside a pond. The boy was a year older than her, and he seemed surprised when he saw her. "Amber!" he exclaimed._

_The girl, Amber, giggled as she tackled the black haired boy and they both fell into the pond._

_The boy groaned when he managed to push her off. "You got me soaked!"_

_Amber grinned and splashed the annoyed boy with water. "Sorry… Mommy told me to cheer you up."_

_The young boy, Zuko, smiled at the girl. "It's okay." Then he grabbed the girl and they both fell back in the pond laughing._

Waking with a gasp, I clutched my head as pain surged through it. That was when I felt some cloth wrapped around my head and I touched the side of the bandage where I noticed dried blood. Whoever hit me earlier hit me really hard.

"Oh! You're awake," a older mans voice said, and I looked over in surprise to see a heavy set man in his early fifties, with gray hair and a beard. "Zuko was concerned his soldier hit you too hard. Are you in pain dear?"

After hearing this old mans words, I remembered everything that had happened. "Aang!" I cried, and shot up on the cot I was lying on. At once I tried to get up, but a wave of nausea hit me and fell on my side feeling my body grow weak.

The older man was there beside me then, his gentle hands helping me slide back to the middle of the cot. "You shouldn't move to much… The Avatar and his friends left. Your water tribe friends tried to get you back but in the end my nephew outmatched them. They had no choice but to leave."

"Katara… Sokka… They're gone?" I whispered, unable to believe my siblings had actually left me. Then I remembered all the soldiers and I understood why. There was no way they could have saved me if they tried. They all would've been captured. Immediately I forgave them.

The man stood from where he was kneeling beside (the cot was on the ground) and turned to leave. "I must inform Zuko you are awake. I will return with him in a few minutes. Just stay where you are so you don't hurt yourself." Then the man left the room leaving me to watch him go with terror.

He was going to bring back that monster… That guy who tried to hurt my Gran-Gran. There was no telling what he'd do to me when he got here. He'd probably kill me.

Immediately I tried to get off the cot once more, and I managed to walk weakly to the steel wall. My head felt heavy as I walked toward the closed door of the cabin I was in. Then with all my strength I pushed open the door. Deep down I prayed my brother and sister were in a better situation than this.

My heart yearned to be with them so much. Were they safe? Did they miss me yet? How long had I been out anyway?

"… seems stable but I suggest she stay in bed for a day or two," the mans familiar voice returned, and I gasped taking my only chance and rushing down the dimly lit hall. My eyes became blurry as I ran, and then my legs became weak. As a spasm of pain shot through my head, I felt the boat I was on lean and I fell against the steel wall hard.

My fall was loud, since the metal of the ship smacked against my side creating an echo. Plus I had cried out in pain from the fall pretty much giving my escape route away.

To prove it the monster Zuko ran around the corner I had just turned, and his terribly familiar golden eyes looked intensely at me. "That's what you get for running away," he said, then calmly walked over to my shaking form.

"You- you won't get away with thi-" my voice broke off though, because suddenly I was picked up into Zuko's arms and held to his warm body. "Put me down!" I cried, only to wince when another pain shot through my scalp.

"You're lucky I'm feeling forgiving today… Otherwise I'd have locked you up," he hissed, and then began to carry me back the way I'd came.

Taking me back into the room, I was stunned to see the older man from earlier standing with a tray of tea. "That was my fault Prince Zuko… I didn't think she'd try to runaway."

Zuko sat me carefully back on the cot which I lied back down on with defeat. "Let's start over now… What do you two say?" the older man said.

"Uncle… Perhaps it would be best if you tell her what you've learned," Zuko said, then looked at me know with a sudden kindness. Why was he looking at me like that? And why did he look so familiar?

The man seemed surprised by Zuko saying this, but he eventually nodded in agreement. Turning to my confused face, he said, "Let's start with introductions… My name is Iroh, retired general of the fire nation. This man is my nephew and the Fire Lords son Prince Zuko. We have been on a quest for three long years hunting down the Avatar."

Zuko shifted uncomfortably as Iroh spoke, and I wondered why they were telling me this. Shouldn't I be there prisoner?

"We never expected however, that we'd discover you in the southern water tribe of all places. You were thought to be dead, so of course we never expected to find you among a whole other nation." Iroh stopped speaking and looked deeply into my eyes. "At first I thought you were just some girl who abandoned her own nation because you didn't like the war, but when I saw the way your friends were trying to get you back I could see you were family to them. That means they took you in I'm assuming, so you must have been a little girl when you arrived at the island. That's how I had a feeling you were who I thought you were."

Iroh was about to keep talking, but I finally found my strength and sat up. "Wait a second… Why does this matter? You guys are after the avatar right? Why are you trying to figure me out when I'm just a girl who got in your way?"

Zuko suddenly smashed his fist into the wall making me jump in shock. "I told you this wasn't going to work uncle! There's no way this girl is her! My sister wouldn't forget about me!"

Iroh immediately looked at Zuko hard. "She may have amnesia Zuko! There's no telling what happened to her after she was kidnapped!"

"Kidnapped?" I whispered, my head aching as I became more and more confused by the second.

Zuko let out a growl and then said, "There's no way this girl is Amber! Amber wouldn't have lost to amnesia!"

Amber? Who's Amber?

My head suddenly pulsed with pain and I let out a cry clutching where it had been hit. That's when something flashed through my mind.

An intense battle… Fire and water flying everywhere… A piece of steel falling from above.

"Dear… Are you alright?" Iroh said, pulling my hand from my head. Sweat was beading from my forehead, and I was taking in hard breaths as I tried to collect myself.

Amber… My dream… What did it have to do with me?

"Can you tell us your name dear," Iroh whispered, his golden eyes searching my own.

"My name… My name is Kaya… At least that's what my parents called me," I whispered, still really confused by everything.

"Kaya… How did you get on the south pole?" He asked.

His question made my heart begin to pound rapidly… That's the one question I hated because I had no idea. Chief Hakoda claimed he found me on a fire nation vessel, but what I was doing there was a mystery. I was only six when my adoptive father found me, but I couldn't remember anything from when I was younger. Nothing past when I woke up in Katara's bed.

"I… I don't know," I finally answered Iroh.

My words shocked them both, and Zuko looked at me with sad eyes. "You don't remember anything… How old were you?"

"Six," I whispered, still confused to why this whole interrogation was going on.

Zuko gasped and fell against the wall, his eyes feeling with shock. "It can't be," he whispered. "She's dead."

Iroh suddenly handed me a cup of steaming tea and I took it carefully. "Kaya… When you were found, were you tied up?"

His words surprised me, and I felt another shock of pain shoot through me making me drop my tea with a cry of pain. My fathers words rang through my memories.

'_We found you unconscious under a steel pipe… You were tied up with rope and a gag was over your mouth… You must have been there prisoner or something. You didn't' seem like a threat to me though.'_

"Rope… I was tied with rope and gagged… That's what Hakoda said," I whispered, feeling warm tears stream down my cheeks.

Iroh suddenly placed his empty teacup down and took my shaky hands from my head. "Kaya… I think you might be-"

"NO!" Zuko suddenly cried, and I looked up in shock. Zuko was about ready to crumble. "Amber died! Father said she was dead!"

"They never found her body though Zuko! It's only logic that Kaya is-"

"This traitor is not my sister! Amber died nine years ago!" Zuko yelled, then turned and left slamming the door on his way out.

When he left a image shot through my mind. An image of a little fire nation boy and fire nation girl sitting on a stone bench looking at turtle ducks.

That's when I started to cry.


	2. The monster

**(Just to let you know Kaya is pronounced Kay-ya instead of her adoptive mom Kya which is Ki-ya)**

The door to the cabin I had been staying in opened, and Iroh walked in with Zuko following behind. "We're stopping at a port so that repairs to the ship can be made. I wanted to know if you'd like to come on land with us, seeing as you've been cramped in here all week," Iroh said kindly, while Zuko stared into my eyes probably trying to find this Amber girl.

Zuko had been watching me like a hawk all week, asking me constantly who I really was and how I really ended up in the south pole. Every time I told him the same thing I had told Iroh.

"I don't know."

Zuko got mad when he heard this and stomped out of the room. Every time he asked me his questions, and I answered them, he would get mad. It made me not want to answer him at all.

"I can really leave the ship?" I asked, feeling my heavy heart lighten at the thought.

Iroh smiled and looked at Zuko who seemed annoyed. "Prince Zuko," Iroh snapped, obviously trying to get Zuko to be nice to me.

Zuko let out a hard sigh, then looked at me with those familiar gold eyes. "You have my permission to come with us. You better not try to run though, or I'll lock you in a cell."

Letting out a hard sigh, I nodded knowing I had no choice but to obey.

"We have one condition though," Iroh suddenly said. Looking at him I saw for the first time he was holding some red fabric in his hands. "This is a fire nation port… Wearing your water tribe clothing will attract some unwanted attention to us so you'll need to change."

Looking down at my water tribe shirt and trousers, I suddenly felt nervous. Was I going to become the fire nation now? Was I going to become the enemy? My hands immediately touched the water tribe bracelet around my wrist. The one my mom Kya gave me a few weeks before she died. It was made by her out of some twine she found, but she carved the charm on it from a stone. The charm had a picture of a water ripple on it.

"Okay," I whispered, though I swore I wouldn't take off my bracelet no matter what.

Iroh and Zuko then left the room, and I was soon taking off my clothing and slipping on a light silky dress. The material felt so familiar to me as I put it on. When I was finished, I looked in a mirror hanging on the wall and stared with amazement.

The girl in the mirror looked like a fire nation girl, only her skin wasn't as pale. The dress she wore was strapless and flowed past her knees like a fire colored waterfall. She looked like a fire nation princess.

I looked like a fire nation princess.

The very thought made me want to get back in my water tribe clothing immediately.

A knock on the door brought me back to present, and I jumped away from the mirror. "You dressed?" Zuko asked, though I could hear a hint of annoyance in his tone.

Walking over to the door, I opened it to find Zuko staring at the floor. "Are you sure it's okay to wear this?" I asked, my voice becoming shaky as I spoke.

Zuko looked up to answer, and then suddenly his eyes went wide. "You- you look-" he stopped himself though, and I saw pain flash through his face. Then he turned from me and said, "Come on… Iroh's waiting for us."

As he walked away, I couldn't help but watch him go with confusion. What had gotten into him all of the sudden? And why did he still look so familiar?

Following Zuko through the dim halls, down the ramp of the ship, and into the sunny world I soon found myself standing on the docks of a fire nation naval yard. Never in a hundred years did I ever think this would happen.

Iroh was talking to some soldiers when Zuko and I approached him, and when Iroh saw me his eyes went wide. At once I stopped walking, my heart pounding as Iroh's face too flashed with something I could only interpret as pain.

"Uncle… I want repairs made as quickly as possible. I don't want to stay too long and risk losing his trail," Zuko said, grabbing my forearm to pull me along.

Iroh got out of his stunned state and looked at Zuko with question. "You mean the Avatar?"

Zuko froze then and jerked me hard as he faced his uncle. "Don't mention his name on these docks! Once word gets out that he's alive every fire bender will be looking for him, and I don't want anyone getting in my way."

Iroh noticed Zuko was hurting me from the flash of pain that shot through my eyes, and immediately Iroh pried Zuko's tightened hand from my forearm.

"Getting in the way of what, Prince Zuko?" a deep voice asked, and the three of us looked over to see a man approach us. A man I couldn't help but think I'd seen before. Why did he look familiar too?

The dark brown haired, middle aged, baboon faced man walked over to us in a way of authority. His gold eyes looked at me curiously, and I immediately shrunk behind Zuko who hid me pretty good since I was a head shorter than him.

"Captain Zhao," Zuko said with distaste.

Zhao smirked. "It's commander now." Then Zhao turned to Iroh and bowed. "And General Iroh… Great hero of our nation."

Iroh said calmly, "Retired General." As Zhao continued to speak to Zuko and Iroh a sharp pain shot through my head once more and more images flashed.

A dark cell… Foot steps approaching… cold laughter.

"And who is this? Did you pick her up before or after the earth kingdom ship?" Zhao suddenly asked, and I was stunned to see he was in front of me grabbing my chin to look into my terrified eyes.

Zuko grabbed Zhao's hand with a threatening grip, and then I saw him step in front of me. "She's no one. Just a girl who had no where else to go."

Zhao sneered, then pulled his hand away. "For being just a girl you sure are protective over her."

Zuko tensed at Zhao's words, while uncle said, "She's been with us for a while now. We think of her as family."

Zhao looked into my eyes once more, and his golden orbs flashed through my mind but in a different way. They were colder in these images, and they looked ready to kill.

"What's your name beautiful?" he asked.

For a single second I was tempted to tell him to buzz off, but I knew he was very high in authority and didn't want to get arrested.

Looking away from the mans eyes, I said softly, "Kaya."

Zhao seemed shocked by this. "Are you water tribe?" He looked down at my bracelet and something flashed through his eyes. Something I couldn't decipher. After a second he gathered himself and turned back to Iroh.

"You must regale me with all the thrilling details," Zhao said, then got really close to Zuko's cold glaring face. "Join me for a drink?"

Zuko grabbed my forearm once more, only not as hard, saying, "Sorry, but we have to go."

As I was being steered back toward the ship, Iroh suddenly said, "Prince Zuko, show commander Zhao your respect!" He must have turned back to Zhao because I also heard him say, "We would be honored to join you. Do you have any ginseng tea? It's my favorite."

Zuko suddenly released my arm and shot fire from his fists in rage. At least he had let me go before he did.

Soon we were being taken to a large red tent where Zhao had two guards positioned on the outside. Stepping into the large roomy area, I was surprised to see a large map hanging on the wall of the four nations. There was also a long table in the room, where a server was already preparing our tea.

Zhao had three chairs placed in a line, and Zuko and I sat in them glumly. Then Zhao went into this long spout about how the fire nation would expand their army across the earth kingdom, where they would soon invade the great city of Ba Sing Se taking the great king's empire down.

As he spoke all this, I felt goose bumps appear and I shivered. If the fire nation did take over the earth kingdom, then that just left the water tribes to conquer.

"And by year's end, the Earth Kingdom capital will be under our rule. And by years end the fire nation will claim victory in this war," Zhao practically shouted with excitement. His words only filled me with more dread.

Zuko crossed his arms then, and I heard him say, "If my father thinks the rest of the world will follow him willingly, then he's a fool."

Looking at Zuko with surprise, I felt his eyes meet mine and then quickly look away. Looking back down at my lap, I wondered why Zuko had said such a thing.

Zhao suddenly sat in Iroh's empty seat, which was slightly facing our two chairs. "Two years at sea have done little to temper your tongue," Zhao spat. Then after a small pause he asked, "So, how is your search for the Avatar going?"

A sharp smash of metal made me jump, and the three of us looked over to see Iroh staring at three weapons on the ground guiltily. "My fault entirely," Iroh said, as he slowly inched away from his mess.

Zuko looked back at Zhao then. "We haven't found him yet."

Zhao didn't seem surprised by Zuko's words. "Did you really expect to? The Avatar died a hundred years ago along with the rest of the air benders."

At once Zuko's eyes averted from Zhao with guilt. Zhao must have noticed because he said, "Unless you found some evidence that the Avatar is alive."

Zuko kept his eyes down, while I felt shivers run down my spine. "No… Nothing," Zuko muttered.

"Prince Zuko," Zhao began, standing from his chair. "The Avatar is the only one who can stop the Fire Nation from winning this war. If you have an ounce of loyalty left you'll tell me what you've found." Zhao had gotten threateningly close to Zuko's face.

As Zuko told Zhao his lies, I looked over at the map with sudden pain. Were Katara and Sokka safe?

"Come on uncle! We're leaving," Zuko suddenly hissed, then stood and pulled me from my chair. We were just exiting the tent when two soldiers entered.

"Commander Zhao, we interrogated the crew as you instructed. They confirmed Prince Zuko had the avatar in custody, but let him escape," one of the soldiers said.

Zuko tensed at this, while Zhao said calmly, "Now, remind me… How exactly was your ship damaged?"

Zuko released my arm and looked down in defeat. Then Zuko, Iroh, and I were forced back into our chairs where Zuko told Zhao everything. How they had discovered the Avatar in a small water tribe village, and how the Avatar escaped him after he deflected a fireball at an icy cliff and snow fell on the ship.

"So a twelve year old boy bested you and your fire benders? You're more pathetic than I thought," Zhao hissed.

Zuko immediately yelled, "I underestimated him once, but it will not happen again."

"No it will not, because you won't have a second chance," Zhao said coldly. His voice… I knew his voice… He had to be somehow linked to my past.

That's when another spasm of pain struck me, only this time it wasn't small flashes. This time it was a memory.

_It was cold where I was, curled up in the corner of a cell that swayed. That was the way I knew I was on a boat. Footsteps approached where I was locked up and chained to a wall. I was only six it appeared and I had scratches all over my body. It seemed like they were lashes from something sharp._

_A hard laugh rang from the doorway of the prison hold I was in, and looking up I saw a man approach me. A younger looking Zhao. "Glad to see you're awake… Hopefully you won't try to run again," Zhao hissed, his voice sending shivers down my spine. "I didn't take you so that in the end I'd lose you."_

_He then shot a blast of fire at me through the bars, and my scream filled my ears._

Letting out a hard gasp, I was shocked to see I had fallen off my chair and Zuko was trying to help me up. "What the agni's gotten into you?" Zuko asked, trying to pull me up. When he got me to a sitting position, I saw Zhao had left the room while I was having my flashback.

Iroh and Zuko helped me back onto my chair, and then Iroh looked into my eyes hard. "Are you alright?"

Looking between an outraged Zuko and a concerned Iroh, I asked softly, "What happened?"

"We're stuck here! That's what happened! While you're daydreaming Zhao is keeping us prisoner!" Zuko yelled, and I looked at him in surprise.

Iroh quickly grabbed Zuko's shoulders and said firmly, "Prince Zuko, calm yourself. Something is seriously wrong with Kaya. The Avatar is the least of our worrie-"

"No uncle! I don't even get why she's here! She should be locked up in a cell, not treated like a member of the royal family! She is not Amber!" Zuko yelled, while I rubbed the spot on the side of my head that was really hurting. The spot where the steel pipe had fallen on me nine years ago.

Iroh let out a hard sigh, then came back over to me while Zuko continued to fume. Taking my hand in his kind old gentle one, Iroh asked, "Are you alright, Kaya?"

Looking into Iroh's searching eyes, I said softly, "I'm sorry… I don't know what came over me."

The next hour was silent as the three of us sat in the room waiting for Zhao to return. At the thought of Zhao though I kept picturing him shooting a flame at me through the bars. Was it really a memory, or was I just imagining things?

Zhao returned just as Zuko had finally calmed down, and two soldiers positioned themselves behind him to block us from escape. "My search party is ready. Once I'm at sea, my guards will escort you back to your ship and you'll be free to go." Zhao said, and I saw his eyes meet mine making sweat bead down my forehead. The way he looked at me showed me he was trying to register who I was.

"Why… Are you worried I'm going to try and stop you?" Zuko muttered.

Zhao broke into hard laughter, and his laugh made my blood run cold. It was the laugh from my memories. "You? Stop me? Impossible!"

Zuko suddenly jumped up in defiance and shouted, "Don't underestimate me Zhao! I will capture the Avatar before you!"

Iroh jumped up too. "Prince Zuko, that's enough!"

Zhao however kept talking. "You can't compete with me. I have a hundred warships under my command, and you… you're just a banished prince. No home. No allies. Your own father doesn't even want you."

Zhao's words shocked me, and I looked over at Zuko who was outraged. Zuko was a banished prince?

"You're wrong. Once I deliver the Avatar to my father he will welcome me home with honor and restore my rightful place on the throne," Zuko said defiantly.

Zhao sneered at this, and another image flashed through my mind. Me running… Zhao chasing… Zhao grabbing my hair… Zhao's sneer.

"If your father really wanted you home he'd have let you return by now, Avatar or no Avatar, but in his eyes you are a failure and a disgrace to the fire nation!"

"That's not true!" Zuko shouted.

"You have a scar to prove it!"

"Maybe you'd like one to match!" Zuko and Zhao were face to face now, both of them fuming. My heart began to pound rapidly as I felt the tension build between the two of them.

Zhao now looked ready to kill. "Is that a challenge?"

Zuko glared with hatred at Zhao. "An Agni Kai. At sunset."

Zhao relaxed and sneered. "Very well. It's a shame your father won't be here to watch me humiliate you. I guess your uncle and the girl will do." Then he suddenly walked over to me and grabbed my forearm making me gasp. "If you don't mind, I'd like a word with your companion."

Iroh and Zuko looked surprised, and I begged them not to let him take me with pleading eyes. Zuko noticed and went to argue, but Iroh stopped him. "What you have to say to Kaya, you can say in front of us," Iroh said, and I saw his eyes weren't joking.

Zhao chuckled. "I don't think your in a position to threaten me right now Iroh." Then he looked at his soldiers saying, "Keep them here. My conversation won't be long."

The guards nodded, while Zhao yanked me out of the tent and into the sunlight. Without time to gather myself, Zhao was pulling me across the naval yard and I was fighting him. "Let go of me!" I shouted, clawing at his hand with my nails. He wasn't fazed, and eventually he shoved me into another tent, this one smaller.

Shoving me on the one chair in the tent, Zhao suddenly grabbed my neck constricting my air. "You really know how to play dumb, don't you girl?" he hissed, and I whimpered as I struggled to break free of his death grip. "How the hell did you survive? I sent strict orders to my men to dump you off the coast of the South Pole!"

As he fumed, I choked out, "I don't… I don't know what your talking about."

Zhao released me then and I let out a gasp for air. "You really want me to believe that you have no idea what I'm talking about. You look just like Ursa! There's no doubt in my mind that you're Amber!"

Amber? Why was he bringing that name up again? And who's Ursa?

"I don't have a clue what you're talking about! My name is Kaya!"

A slap sounded in my ear, and a second later I felt my cheek sting. Clutching it in shock, I felt my insides boil with rage, That was the last straw. Jumping up from the seat, I shot a blast of fire at Zhao's crazy looking face and he flew back from the impact smashing through the tent wall.

My cheek was still pulsing in pain, but I ignored it as I stepped through the torn tent and over to Zhao who lied on the ground in shock. Glaring down at him, I yelled, "You need to learn how to respect a woman obviously! Whoever this Amber girl is, I can promise you she would hate your guts you low life baboon face!"

Then with one last glare at the monster on the ground, I hissed, "I'm going back to Iroh and Zuko… If you know what's good for you, you better leave me alone, even if I am really this Amber chick!"

Then I turned and left, only to have Zhao shout, "You'll pay for that one you brat! You can hide it from them, but I know who you are!"

When I got back to the tent I was clutching my stinging cheek in shock. What had I just done? Did I really just attack Zhao, a fire nation commander?

Dropping my hand, I let out a hard sigh and walked into the tent. Iroh and Zuko were seated in their chairs once more, both of them talking in whispers so the two guards in the room couldn't hear. When I entered the two guards watched me curiously probably wondering why Zhao hadn't brought me back himself.

Iroh suddenly noticed I had returned, and he looked relieved. "Kaya… What did Zhao want?"

"Nothing," I muttered, then took a seat beside Zuko who seemed to have calmed down from his dispute with Zhao. Zuko looked over at me, while Iroh searched my eyes knowing more than _nothing _had happened.

After a moment of silence, Zuko said softly, "The right side of your face is swelling."

Pulling my knees up to my chest, I whispered, "It's nothing."

Zuko looked like he wanted to pry, but he must've decided he shouldn't care, and he turned away. The next few hours were long and silent, as Zuko prepared himself for the Agni Kai. Iroh explained to me what and Agni Kai was, and how Zuko had lost the last one after he refused to fight his father. When I learned this I felt sympathetic toward him. His father sounded like a monster.

As soon as the sun began to set, guards escorted us through the naval yard toward what appeared to be a practice ring. Zhao was already there with four of his soldiers, and when the three of us walked by he glared at Zuko and then at me.

Taking our place on the opposite side of the arena, Zuko kneeled just as Zhao was doing twenty yards away. "Remember your fire bending basics, Prince Zuko. They are your greatest weapons."

Zuko stood then and his shoulder wrap fell from his muscular body onto the floor to show he was ready to fight. "I refuse to let him win," Zuko stated firmly. Looking over I saw Zhao had stood too, his own shoulder wrap falling to the ground.

"Be careful," I whispered, though I was surprised I'd said it at all. There was something about Zuko though, that made me want him to be safe.

Zuko was shocked I'd said it, but he nodded and said, "I will."

The gong sounded then meaning the battle was about to begin. As both fire benders took their stances, I felt my heart quicken. Then it started without warning. Zuko was the first to fire at Zhao, only to miss by a few inches. Zuko continued to fire blasts, all of them missing until the last which was blocked by Zhao.

Zuko grew furious by his misses and took off toward Zhao shooting fire with his hands and bare feet. Zhao easily dodged and blocked each one, then he crouched near the ground and shot a trail of fire at Zuko. At once I gasped and prayed to the spirits that Zuko would be okay.

"Basics Zuko! Break his root!" Iroh shouted, while I wrapped my arms as sweat beaded down my forehead. Zuko had this strange effect on me, like we always knew each other even though I'd only met him a week ago.

Zhao suddenly took the offense and began to shoot flames from his fists. Zuko blocked each one, but each burst sent him sliding back. Then Zhao shot a big one with both fists and Zuko flew back hitting the ground hard.

"No!" I cried, and immediately I covered my mouth in surprise. Why was I worried about Zuko? I was just his prisoner wasn't I?

As Zuko began to stand, Zhao took a jump and fired at him. Zuko noticed this and rolled out of the way before the flame could hit him, then he did a twist and knocked Zhao off his feet with a kick to his foot. Zuko landed on his feet with amazing agility, just as a stunned Zhao tried to pull himself together.

Relief swept over me as I watch Zuko take the offense. Zhao was then being forced backward as Zuko produced small waves of fire from his feet.

"Knock him down!" I cried, and Zuko smiled at my words doing just that.

With one final blast of fire Zhao was flown backward and hit the ground hard. Then Zuko got ready for the final blow. Zhao shouted, "Do it!" but Zuko looked hesitant. Then with one final blow, Zuko shot a perfect flame a few inches from Zhao's face.

Iroh and I sighed in relief. Somehow we both knew Zuko wouldn't do it, but we were still glad he hadn't.

"That's it? Your father raised a coward!" Zhao yelled, and his cruel voice brought back memories of that cold dark cell to my head. Zhao's cold laughter as he shot a flame through the bars.

"Next time you get in my way, I won't hold back," Zuko hissed. Then he turned and started to walk back over to us.

Relieved that Zuko had won, Iroh closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. It wasn't over though from what I saw, and with one quick sprint I ran forward with a cry and jumped in front of Zhao's sudden attack. Using my fire bending, I used my own flame to shoot Zhao's blast back at him and he went flying a good seven feet onto the dirt of the battle arena.

Iroh and Zuko were immediately beside me, Zuko looking ready to kill Zhao as Iroh held him back. "No, Prince Zuko. Do not taint your victory." Zuko immediately calmed, while Iroh said to a shocked Zhao, "So this is how the great Commander Zhao acts in defeat. Disgraceful. Even in exile my nephew is more honorable than you. Thanks again for the tea. It was delicious."

Iroh then pressed a gentle hand on my shaking shoulder, while Zuko looked at the ground with exhaustion. Then we were leaving the arena, and as we left I looked back at Zhao. He was standing now and he watched me go with hard eyes. Turning away, I felt shivers run up and down my spine.

"Did you really mean that, Uncle?" Zuko asked.

Iroh smiled, then said slyly, "Of course. I told you ginseng tea was my favorite."

Soon we we're approaching the repaired ship, and Iroh began to walk up the ramp to go to his quarters. As I was about to walk up the ramp too, Zuko's hand touched my shoulder softly. Turning to him with question, I saw his eyes weren't looking at me with anger. They were brotherly, like Sokka's were to me all the time back at home.

"Thank you, Kaya… For saving me back there." He sounded so sincere, and at once I relaxed.

"It was nothing," I whispered.

Zuko smiled and then with a squeeze of my shoulder he began to head up the ramp.

Watching him go, I felt my heart beat quicken, and then I couldn't hold it in anymore. "Hey Zuko," I said loud enough for him to hear. He stopped walking and turned to me with question.

Taking in a hard breath, I said, "I'm not really sure who this Amber girl is, or if she really is me, but…" Looking down at the steel of the ramp I continued, "But if I was her, then I'd be really glad to call you my brother."

Zuko took a moment to take these words in, and then he was suddenly walking over to me making me look up in shock. Without warning, he placed a palm on the cheek that was still red from Zhao's slap. "You really don't remember anything?" Zuko asked, and I saw his golden eyes suddenly digging deeply into my own.

Tears filled my eyes, and I looked down once more with pain in my heart. Zuko sighed, then removed his hand and began to turn.

"Turtle ducks."

Zuko froze, and I felt my heart beat quicken as the memory of the two fire nation children feeding the turtle ducks came to my mind.

"I remember turtle ducks," I whispered, and then made my way up the ramp to go to my room, walking past a speechless prince.


	3. Small Memories

A week past after the meeting with Zhao, and in the last seven days Zuko hadn't spoken to me once. Iroh was my only companion as the ship we were on sped across the water. Whenever Iroh would come in, he'd bring strange objects with him saying he was trying to see if any sparked my memory.

Three days ago he brought in a bag of seashells and poured the beautiful shaped objects across the floor. Then he sat across from me telling me a story about how when Amber was three she ran off toward the beach of a fire nation resort the royal family would stay in every summer. When she got to the beach she gathered seashells so she could give them to her brother Zuko.

While she was gathering a big wave came out of no where, and it knocked her off her feet pulling her toward the ocean. Amber couldn't swim at the time, only being three, and she began to drown.

When he said this something flashed across my mind. Fear… Pain… A salty taste… My lungs burning. Clutching my head, I heard Iroh continue.

"We were lucky Fire Lady Ursa had seen her leave the resort, because if she hadn't the young princess would have drowned and died. She pulled her out just in enough time, and carried her back to the resort. When Amber woke up the next day, she found she was in her mothers arms."

Another image flashed through my head then.

_A three year old girl, with tangled black hair from the sea, was being held closely to a beautiful woman sleeping beside her on a cot. The woman opened her eyes slowly, and beautiful golden orbs stared at her woken child._

"_I can't let you out of my sight for two minutes, can I?" her mom whispered, and then she kissed the girl on her head._

My hand suddenly flew up to my forehead, where the spot tingled from the memory of the kiss. Why was I seeing Amber's memories as my own?

Iroh asked if I was alright, but I didn't answer him, my body shaking from everything I had just seen and felt.

Then he came back yesterday, only this time he had an apple in his hand. Holding it out to me, he said, "Apple's were Amber's favorite thing to eat. She was never a fan of the hot spicy foods that were usually served at home. One time when she was five Amber begged Zuko to help her climb the apple tree in the palace garden so she could pick some. Zuko helped her up to the first branch about five feet from the ground, and then Amber tried to pick one. She had just snatched one when she lost her balance and fell backward landing on Zuko."

A memory flashed through my head, this time of the same young fire nation boy from my other memories catching the same fire nation girl, Amber, and both of them falling on the grass.

"_You're crazier than Azula!" The boy shouted, shoving Amber off so he could stand up. _

_Amber giggled and held up the apple. "But you love me more."_

_The boy looked down at his sister, then smiled, "Yeah… You're right." Then he snatched the apple from Amber's hand and took off running. Amber gasped and jumped up shouting, "Zu! Bring it back!" Then she took off running after him._

Iroh was suddenly shaking my shoulder then, and I came back to the cabin room I was in. "Kaya? Everything alright?" he asked.

At once I felt tears come to my eyes, and I broke into sobs. This Amber girl kept creeping into my mind, and I was terrified that she really was me. If she was, then that meant my father was a monster, and it also meant my siblings would hate my guts.

Sokka… Katara… What would they think if I really was Zuko's long lost sister?

Iroh didn't show me anything else after my breakdown, and for that I was thankful.

Now it was some time in the evening, and instead of Iroh coming to bring me my food it was another. Zuko walked into the room after I had opened the steel door to let him in. We both stayed silent as he placed a tray of tea and some steamed fish on the cot in the room.

Then he stood straight and turned to me. "You're her… Aren't you?"

Confusion swept through me, and I looked at Zuko not sure how to respond. "Uncle said you're remembering things, little by little. At first I didn't want to believe him, but when you told me about turtle ducks I had not doubt in my mind." Stepping over to me, his eyes seemed to moisten.

"You are Amber, aren't you?" Zuko asked, and his voice pierced my heart. He was wanting me to be this Amber girl so badly, but I didn't know who I was anymore.

Looking down at the floor, I really didn't want to respond. Why should I tell him I'm not, when I'm not even sure myself?

"Don't worry… We'll help you get your memory back. You'll soon be back to your own self in no time," Zuko suddenly said with reassurance, and I looked at him in surprise.

But who am I? If I am this Amber girl, then how am I supposed to be her? My whole nine years of life I've thought myself to be Kaya, the fire nation girl taken in after she was found on an enemy ship tied up and unconscious.

Zuko suddenly placed a hand on my trembling shoulder, saying softly, "Trust me Amber… I won't rest until your memories return."

Wincing from his touch, I whispered, "What if the memories I get back aren't good ones?"

He seemed to take this in, and then he let out a hard sigh. Pulling away from my shoulder, he said, "We'll take it one memory at a time." Then turning he left me, and I watched him go with sadness. He so desperately wanted me to be this Amber. He must have really cared for her…

A week passed, and memories were flooding through me like lightening bolts. One memory I was seated by the pond, the lady Ursa from my previous memory brushing my- or I guess Ambers- hair. She'd then sing a song that I couldn't hear the words of but I felt I knew what they were. The tune kept stabbing at my brain, and I tried so hard to remember what the words to it could be. It never came to me though.

Another memory I had was when Zuko and I- or Amber- had locked Azula in her room to keep her away from us. When she got out of the room she went crying to daddy, and Zuko and I burst into laughter. We were four and five I believe.

These memories made me feel more and more like I was this Amber. How was it that I was seeing these images so clearly? There was only one explanation, and that was that I really was Amber. There was no way I was telling Zuko though. I didn't want to give his hopes up if I was some how wrong.

The day suddenly came when Zuko rushed in the room claiming the Avatar was on Kyoshi Island. That's when I knew I had to decide what to do. Either I snuck away from Zuko and returned to the siblings I knew were in fact my adoptive family, or I stayed with Zuko and tried to discover if I truly was this Amber girl. Either way I'd be letting someone down, whether it be my adoptive brother and sister, or Zuko- the boy who could possibly be my brother by blood.

The decision time came faster than I imagined. Zuko claimed we'd arrived at Kyoshi island, and he told me to stay inside and out of trouble. When he was gone I knew I had to go or stay, and the decision had to be made as soon as Zuko was off the ship.

Fingering the bracelet around my wrist, I remembered something Katara had told me right after I'd arrived in their home. She'd given me a hug while I was crying in the corner of our igloo, saying, _"Don't cry… You're my big sis now… Even if you don't remember your old family, you have a new one."_

Sighing, I plopped down on the cot in the room and fell back. Katara was right… I had my new family. Obviously my old family didn't care about me if they gave up looking for me, so why should I want to be this Amber girl.

No… I'm Kaya. I'm not this Amber girl.

Deciding on it, I immediately stripped off the fire nation dress I wore and pulled back on my water tribe linen shirt and blue trousers. It was time to see my family again, whether Zuko and Iroh liked it or not.

Silently, I opened some drawers in the rooms desk and found a piece of paper. Then pulling an ink pen from it's holder I wrote Zuko a note.

_Zuko,_

_Don't hate me… I need some time to think. All these memories of this girl I may or may not be are tearing me apart, and I really need to get away from it all. I'm not saying I don't think I'm this Amber girl, but I do know that I need time to figure things out. I'm sorry._

_Kaya… Amber… Who ever I am!_

Sighing, I placed the pen back and then put the note flat on the desk. Standing, I made my way over to the door to leave, but a figure already stood there making me freeze.

"Iroh," I whispered, then immediately I felt guilt wash over me. Iroh only stared with understanding. Walking over to me, he placed a kind hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

His apology made me shocked, and I looked at him with question.

"We've been wanting you to be Amber so much, that we've forgotten you already have a family. You've probably missed them so much."

Now that he mentioned it, I had missed them. Even through everything I was remembering, I still could never forget the people I loved more than anything.

"Are you going to stop me then?" I asked, looking at the ground too guilty to meet his eyes.

Iroh sighed, "That would be the proper thing to do, but you're old enough to know what you need. Go to your water tribe family, and if you do ever remember who you are, then Zuko and I will welcome you back with open arms."

Smiling weakly, I said "Thanks" and then started to leave. He placed a hand on my shoulder though and I froze.

"There's something you should have before you go," he whispered, and I turned to him in question. For the first time I saw him holding a fire nation bracelet toward me, it's golden band having magical flames carved inside it.

Iroh took my hand and placed the golden bracelet around my wrist. "It was Amber's before she disappeared. It was found in her bedroom, on the floor, the day after she was kidnapped. You are Amber my dear, so it rightfully belongs to you. Maybe it will help you remember."

Looking down at the bracelet that was beside my water tribe one, I felt the cool familiar metal on my skin. Looking back up at Iroh, I said softly, "I'll take good care of it."

He then pulled me in a hug, and I hugged him back. "Be safe," he whispered, and then turned and left me to watch him go with a smile.

"I will," I whispered, and then I turned and made my way through the halls to sneak off the ship.

It seemed like forever that I hid from guards, ran down thirty hallways, and got lost multiple times, but finally I managed to get to the ramp of the ship and run onto the beach.

When I made it on the cold shore, I realized for the first time that I was barefoot. Dang! I forgot my shoes.

Sighing, I made my way across the melting snow toward a woodsy area. It was as I did this that I heard a familiar groan in the woods and I grinned. Running through the forest, I saw the giant furry flying bison and I immediately rushed over to it.

"Appa… Boy am I glad to see you," I said. Then I climbed his fur and rolled into the saddle. "Okay Appa… We need to get to town and pick everyone up, so let's fly like Aang said you could."

Appa only groaned and shook his head as if to tell me that wasn't possible. Crawling over to his neck, I said, "Come on Appa… They need us." To prove I was right I heard an explosion in the distance. Appa only remained where he was laying down, and I let out a sigh.

"Okay… How does Aang do it Appa? Does he have a special saying, word, pat? Were running out of-"

Appa suddenly took off, and I screamed flying back into the saddle. Then we were flying above the trees, and I saw for the first time what my supposed brother was doing. Fire surrounded the village of Kyoshi Island, people screamed as they ran away from fire nation soldiers and burning houses. At once tears filled my eyes. I didn't want to be Amber if that made me like Zuko.

Appa suddenly began to descend and I saw where he was headed. Aang and Katara stood fighting two fire benders, and immediately I jumped off of Appa falling in front of them.

"Kaya!" Katara cried, as I fired at both the soldiers. They flew back by my blasts and fell unconscious.

Turning to my sister and Aang, I yelled, "Get on Appa!" The three of us climbed back on the giant bison and then a second later Sokka joined us. He was wearing a green dress with makeup, and I laughed when he got on the saddle. He was surprised to see me, but before he could question Appa was taking flight and we flew through the air.

When we passed Zuko, I sort of ducked so he wouldn't see me earning another questioning glance from Sokka. As we began to fly above the water, I watched with amazement as Aang jumped over Appa's saddle and dived into the water below. Then he resurfaced moments later on top a giant black sea serpent. The three of us watched in horror as he steered the beast, and then were amazed when the beast spit water on the village dousing the flames.

When Aang returned to Appa, the three of us sighed in relief and sat in a semi circle. Aang then hopped on the saddle and sat with us. "I know, I know. That was stupid and dangerous," he said guiltily to Katara.

She nodded. "Yes, it was." Then she hugged him and his face filled with relief.

"Now on to an important topic," Katara said, then turned to me.

With surprise I felt her throw her arms around me and hug me tight. "We were so worried about you. Did Zuko hurt you? How'd you escape? You're not brainwashed are you?"

"One question at a time," I said, pushing her slightly back before she suffocated me.

Sokka however took her place hugging me even tighter. "You are the most stubborn girl in the world! Do you like giving me heart attacks."

Rolling my eyes, I said, "The only one who's getting a heart attack is me, and that's because my sixteen year old brother is wearing a dress." Sokka pulled away then, looked down at himself, and then immediately began to struggle out of the green dress. The three of us laughed as we watched me. When he was out I noticed he'd worn his linen shirt and blue trousers underneath.

"So what happened?" Katara suddenly asked, now that all the excitement had died down.

Sighing, I pulled my knees to my chest and told them everything. And I mean 'everything'.

When I finished they were all staring at me speechless, and I blushed looking down at my crossed legs. So this was it. The moment when they decided if they wanted me around anymore. Now they probably thought I was the enemy since I'm supposedly this Amber girl. They probably hated my guts now.

"So…" Katara began, breaking the silence. "Let me get this straight. Prince Zuko and his uncle think you might be some lost princess named Amber, and also this lost princess happens to be Zuko's sister and the fire lords daughter?"

Nodding, I looked into Katara's blue eyes as she took all this in.

To all of our shock, Sokka suddenly burst into laughter. As he laughed, I glared at him and felt betrayal. This wasn't supposed to be funny. At least I didn't think it was.

"I'm sorry," Sokka finally said no longer laughing but smirking. "It's just, the thought of you being a princess is too funny… You don't look the princess type, or act it."

At once punched him hard in the shoulder and he winced clutching it as it throbbed. "See… My point exactly," he muttered.

"Just because she hits you doesn't make her any less a princess," Aang said, smiling at me with excitement.

Letting out a hard sigh, I said, "It doesn't really matter right now anyway. It's just a theory. My memories still aren't clear, and there's still not enough proof that I really am this Amber. For now I just want to be Kaya."

Sokka, Katara, and Aang all looked at one another, and I looked back at my legs while my hands shook with anxiety. What would they do? Would they decide I'm too dangerous to have around? Would they return me to Zuko not wanting the enemies princess traveling with them? Or would they except me with open arms and treat me no less than their sister?

"Okay… Well until you find out if your this Amber girl, we'll pretend nothing's changed and your still our one of a kind fire bending sister," Sokka said. "Deal?"

Looking at my brother with relief, I smiled and took his out stretched hand. "Deal!"

Then to my shock he yanked me forward and rubbed his knuckles hard against my scalp. Struggling, I heard him say, "That's for hitting me." Then he pulled away and grinned at my glaring face.

Rubbing my aching head, I muttered, "I hate it when you do that."

He grinned and said, "I know. That's why I did it."

Katara and Aang broke into laughter, and after a second of Sokka and I staring at one another intently I broke into laughter too. Soon all four of us were laughing together as Appa continued his flight through the sky.


	4. A strange king

"We're here!" Aang exclaimed, as we were making the climb up a big mountain. Appa groaned, while Sokka, Katara, and I sighed in relief. Momo chattered excitedly on my shoulder- I'd met the furry flying lemur yesterday when he scared me to death after he jumped on my head.

"And where's here?" I asked, just as Aang reached the top of the mountain. That's when my eyes widened. There was a huge city below sitting on a large rock formation. The city had earth kingdom symbols all over it's giant wall and the only way to the city was a narrow path below us.

Aang grinned and spread his arms out while he cried, "The Earth Kingdom city of Omashu!"

Sokka and Katara stared at it with amazement, while I shrunk back slightly. During my journey with Iroh, I knew just how much the Earth Kingdom despised the fire nation. If people learned I was a fire bender then I'd be imprisoned on the spot.

"I use to always come here to visit my friend Bumi," Aang continued.

Katara stepped forward saying, "Wow. We don't have cities like this in the south pole."

Smirking, I said to her, "We don't exactly have the men to build them. They're all at war, remember."

Sokka suddenly grabbed my shoulder shaking me and Momo with excitement. "They have buildings here that don't melt," he exclaimed in astonishment.

"The water tribes are the only people that have melting homes, Sokka. That's what we get for living on an icy terrain," I muttered.

Sokka seemed to contemplate this, then his eyes widened. "You're right Kaya!"

Katara giggled while I rolled my eyes. Then Aang grinned back at us saying, "Well, let's go slowpokes! The real fun is inside the city!"

Aang began to fly away, but Katara quickly stopped him. "Wait Aang! It could be dangerous if people find out you're the Avatar."

"You need a disguise," Sokka said in thought. "And so does Kaya. She looks too fire nation."

At once I looked down with guilt. Curse my fire nation blood.

"So what are we supposed to do? Grow a mustache?" Aang cried.

Eventually Sokka came up with a plan, and we quickly harvested some of Appa's fur to make a wig and mustache for Aang. Then once Aang looked like an old man, Katara quickly helped me. Putting me in the green dress Sokka had worn in Kyoshi Island, she pulled my black hair forward so that it was slightly covering my eyes. Then she handed me a warrior fan just incase I needed to hide my face.

"Alright! You two look great!" Sokka cried.

The four of us then made our way to a piece of flat land on the mountain. Leaving Appa near a pond, Aang helped Momo hide in his wig, and then we got onto the road and approached the great gate.

The dress I wore was heavy, but since it was chilly it kept me warm. My feet began to ache when I walked on the rocky earth, and I knew that when we got into the city we were definitely finding me some shoes.

"You guys are going to love Omashu. The people here are the friendliest in the world," Aang promised.  
After saying this we saw a man with a cart of cabbages being bashed by one of the guards. "Rotten cabbages! What kind of slum do you think this is?" The guard smashed the cabbage he was holding, then earth bended the mans cart off the road.

"No! My cabbages!" the older man cried, then looked over the side of the road where his cabbages were tumbling down a hill.

Aang laughed weakly, then said to us, "Just keep smiling…" When we got to the gate, Aang immediately played the role of an old man using his staff as a cane. Feeling slightly nervous, I fanned my face to try and hide my fire nation qualities.

The guards immediately eyed the four of us with question, then when we got closer he earth bended a boulder so it was above Aang's head. The rest of us watched in terror.

"State your business!" the guard ordered, still holding the boulder above Aang's body.

Aang immediately got into character and started pointing at the mans chest. In an old man voice he said, "My business is my business, young man, none of yours! I've got half a mind to bend you over my knee and paddle your backside."

The man dropped the boulder behind Aang in shock, while I held in my laughter but grinned madly behind my fan.

The guard then turned nervous, saying, "Settle down old timer. Just tell me who you are."

"Names Bonzu Pipinpadaloxicopolis the third," Aang answered, and I bit my lip to hold in my laugh.

Katara stepped forward then playing along. "Hi. June Pipinpadaloxicopolis. Nice to meet you." The man eyed my sister's water tribe clothing with curiosity, then looked at me.

"What about you?" he asked, eying my Kyoshi clothing unsure.

"I'm Fiona… Mr. Bonzu's maid. I see to his medicine and keep him and his grandchildren out of trouble," I said, trying my best to keep a calm face.

The guard nodded believing me, then said, "You two seem like responsible young ladies. See that Mr. Bonzu stays out of trouble. Enjoy Omashu!"

"We will," Katara exclaimed.

The guard then stepped aside, and we began to walk by with relief. Just as we thought we were safe though, the Guard said, "Wait a minute." He then grabbed Sokka's shoulder and turned him around. "You're a strong young boy. Show some respect for the elderly and carry your grandfather's bag."

Aang grinned at this, saying, "Good idea." Then he shoved his shoulder bag into Sokka's arms.

The guard stepped back, now satisfied, and then he and the other guards opened the stone gates for us. Three of them slid open till finally we could enter the city. When we entered I was amazed at what I saw. The buildings were all made out of stone, slides went up and down with stone boxes traveling in them, and people of all ages walked around the city with a friendly atmosphere.

Aang began to tell us about the Omashu delivery system, and how earth bending and gravity pretty much made the whole thing work. Sokka shrugged and said, "Great. So they get their mail on time."

Aang grinned. "They do get their mail on time, but my friend Bumi found a better use for these chutes."

Soon we were walking up step after step so we could get to the top of one of the mail chutes. Then when we got there Aang found an empty delivery crate for all of us to get in. Putting the crate on the slide, Aang and my siblings got in, while I stared at them in disbelief.

"Come on Kaya!" Aang begged, smiling widely at me.

Shaking my head anxiously, I said, "No way! There is no way I'm getting in that thing!"

Sokka smirked at me, then said to Aang, "I got this. One second." He got out of the crate then, and I knew what was coming. Turning, I tried to run, but Sokka already grabbed me and was throwing me over his shoulder.

"Sokka!" I cried, beating my brothers back as he carried me back over to the crate. Dropping me in, I immediately tried to get out but Sokka got in and held me down. "You're so dead after this!" I yelled.

Aang then grinned at the three of us, saying, "One ride. Then we're off to the North Pole. Airbender's honor."

Katara suddenly began to chicken out saying, "This sounded like fun at first, but now I'm beginning to have second thoughts!" Just as Katara finished her sentence, Aang shot air behind us and we were soon traveling at unbearable speed down the stone chutes. The whole time I screamed my head off and closed my eyes.

Eventually a second chute interloped with ours and a crate with very pointy spears began to chase after us. Immediately I began to shout, "You are so dead Sokka! I'm going to kill you!"

As the spears began to hover above us, Aang shouted, "I'm on it! I'm on it!" Aang then rocked our crate off the rail and we were flying through the air. More screams pierced my lungs, and I clutched onto the side of the crate as we hit the top of a roof and slid down it. Then we fell onto a flat area where a bunch of men were dressed in armor and appeared to be training. They watched us with amazement, while the three of us screamed even more. Aang was practically laughing though.

Somehow we'd managed to get onto another chute, and Katara said, "Aang. Do something. Use your air bending."

"Yeah! Good idea! That'll make us go faster!" Aang cried.

"That's not what she meant!" I shouted, as the crate sped up and we grew dangerously close to where an Earth bender was shooting off some mail crates down other chutes. Just as we reached the mail guy, our crate went over the chute and we were going free style again.

Screaming some more, we smashed through a building, out a window, and then flew into a cabbage cart. We all ended up falling out of the crate onto the cabbages. When this happened I felt my heart pounding hard and my body shaking.

"Aang…" I began, sitting up to stare at the air bender who had lost his wig and was now rubbing his bald head. He looked over at me with question. "You're so dead!" I yelled shooting forward. A guard grabbed me and pulled me back though, then the four of us were being led away from an astonished crowd toward a giant palace looking building made entirely out of stone.

When we got inside, we were forced in front of a really old man on a greenish throne, who looked at all of us with a grin. Kneeling down without much choice, we all stared at the king on his throne with sweat beading down our foreheads.

"Your majesty… These juveniles were arrested for vandalism, traveling under false pretenses, and malicious destruction of cabbages," a guard said.

The cabbage man who had somehow followed us, cried, "Off with their heads! One for each head of cabbage!"

The guard immediately shouted, "Silence! Only the king can pass down judgment! What is your judgment sire?"

The king contemplated it, looking at each one of us curiously. When he laid his eyes on me he tried to stare into my own but I kept my face hidden behind my hair.

"Throw them…" Closing my eyes, I waited for our punishment. "A feast!"

The four of us shot one another looks of amazement, while one of the guards came over to us not looking too happy. "Follow me," he muttered, and the four of us left the king to go into a giant room with a very large table.

As we sat waiting for the food, I felt the guards in the room eying me and it made me anxious. Why was the king being so nice to us? It was weird.

The king suddenly walked up behind us and I heard him say to Aang while holding a chicken leg to his face, "Hehehe… The people of this city have gotten fat from too many feasts, so I hope you like your chicken without skin."

Aang looked at the meat in front of him with disgust. "No thanks… I don't eat meat," he said.

The king then walked over to my brother holding the leg in front of him too. "What about you? I bet you like meat," he said. He then forces the drumstick in Sokka's mouth and Sokka ate it with delight.

"Is it just me or is this guys crown a little crooked?" Katara whispered to me.

Looking at her, I said, "Trust me… We're all thinking it. Even the guards."

The king then took a seat in front of the three of us and we all shrunk from his sharp eyes. "So tell me young bald one… Where are you from?"

Aang looked around nervously, then said, "I'm from… Kangaroo Island!"

The king smirked. "Oh. Kangaroo Island, eh? I hear that place is really hopping!"

After a moment of silence, Sokka suddenly burst out laughing causing the four of us to look at him in surprise. He saw our looks of disbelief and said, "What? It was pretty funny."

The king yawned suddenly. "Well, all these good jokes are making me tired. Guess it's time to hit the hay," he said. Then suddenly he flung a chicken leg at Aang who used air bending to stop it in mid air.

Immediately the guards gasped, while Aang dropped the drumstick in surprise.

"There's an air bender in our presence and not just any air bender. The Avatar!" King Bumi yelled across the throne room. Aang immediately became nervous and so did we. "What do you have to say for yourself Mr. Pipinpadaloxicopolis?"

The four of us looked at one another with surprise, then we glanced at Aang not really sure what we should do.

Aang stood slowly saying, "Okay! You caught me. I'm the Avatar, doing my Avatar thing, keeping the world safe. Everything checks out," he then looks under the table. "No fire benders here, so good work everybody." He suddenly puts is arms around Sokka and Katara's shoulder, then all four of us stand to leave. "Love each other, respect all life and don't run with your spears. We'll see you next time!"

We turn to leave but spears are crossed in front of us not letting us go past.

Katara turns back to the King with fury. "You can't keep us here! Let us leave!"

He looks down at the table and picks up a piece of lettuce. "Lettuce leaf?" He then took a bite of the lettuce and I watched with disbelief. What kind of king was this guy?

Sokka suddenly leaned over and whispered to us, "We're in serious trouble. This guy is nuts."

Nodding in agreement, I went to say something else but the king cut me off. "Tomorrow the Avatar will face three deadly challenges," he began. "But for now the guards will show you to your chamber."

Chamber?

A guard suddenly stepped forward. "My liege… Do you mean the good chamber or the bad chamber?"

The king thought it over. "The newly refurbished chamber."

The guard became even more confused. "Wait! Which one are we talking about?"

"The one that use to be the bad chamber, until the recent refurbishing that is. Of course we've been calling it the new chamber, but we really should number them." He then stopped his rant and ordered, "Take them to the refurbished chamber that was once bad!"

* * *

**I'll be done with the next part soon. =)**


	5. The Challenge

The guards obeyed the king and grabbed onto each of us pulling us out of the throne room. We were forced through the palace into a room that could only be opened by earth bending. Then we were shoved inside and the wall closed behind blocking our escape.

Inside the room there were three finely furnished beds, and three small air vents. "This is a prison cell? But it's so nice."

Walking over to the wall, I placed my hands on the stone where the door use to be.

"He did say it was newly refurbished," Aang muttered.

Sokka spat out, "Nice or not. We're still prisoners!"

My heart began to ache as I pulled from the wall and my breathing hitched. There was no way out. As the other three kept talking I felt my way around the wall, my heart pounding rapidly. Being locked up terrified me for some reason. I felt like if I didn't escape I'd never be able to go back home.

Back home? Why was my mind doing this to me? Why did I feel like I'd gone through this before?

Pain suddenly shot through my head and my mind took me to another time.

_My small six year old frame was shoved hard into a cold windowless room. Tears streamed down my pale cheeks and I held my wrist which was pulsing in pain. The sound of footsteps echoed into my new prison, and I looked up in terror._

_Zhao stood above me, leering down with eyes of hatred. "You're really trying my patience you brat! This is the third time you've escaped me in the last week. I've had it! From now on you'll be locked in here. The only way to open its door is from the outside, so no more thinking about escaping. As soon as we reach the south pole I'm dumping your pathetic miserable body into the ocean!" Then he came forward, slapped me hard on the cheek, and left the room slamming the door behind._

_Darkness filled the room, and I held onto my knees tightly. More than anything I wanted my mommy. Even more I wanted my older brother. "Zuko," I whimpered. "Mommy… I want to go home." _

"Kaya!" a voice shouted piercing through my brain. Opening my eyes, I saw I was on my knees and Katara and Sokka were kneeling beside me worried sick. Looking at them, I saw Katara was holding me as I shook terribly.

Aang stood to the side, looking into my eyes with worry as well. "Maybe we should get her on a bed. She looks like she's going to pass out."

Somehow Katara and Sokka managed to guide me to a bed, and then they sat beside me as I continued to shake. "Kaya… What happened?" Katara asked.

Swallowing hard, I answered, "A memory."

Katara asked what it was about and I told them. Told them about Zhao, the cell, and how I felt so alone.

"Being locked up probably triggered the memory," Aang said. "You've been a prisoner before, so your mind related our situation to your past."

Nodding, I wiped my cheeks where tears had spilled. "But why does remembering have to hurt so bad?"

Aang smiled weakly. "The monks told me once that the first step to healing is accepting who you are. You're fighting against your memories because you're scared of them. If you don't stop fighting them then they will only hurt more."

Sighing, I pulled my knees close to my chest. "I know… I just don't want it to be true," I whispered.

That night I slept in and out. Every time I'd feel a dream come on I'd wake myself up. My dreams held memories, and I was scared of what those memories would be. It was almost morning when I finally fell asleep, and luckily I had no dreams.

It was only when I heard Aang shout, "Sokka! Katara! Where are my friends?!" Sitting up, I found myself staring at an earth bender and Aang. Looking around, I saw my siblings were no where to be found. Oh no…

Jumping out of bed, I rushed over crying, "What have you done to my family?!"

The guard looked at me annoyed, then turned back to Aang. "The king will free them if you two complete your challenges."

"The two of us?" I asked, confused. Wasn't it only the Avatar?

"And if we fail?" Aang asked.

The guard looked at me, then back at Aang. "He didn't say. Your staff please." Aang weakly handed over his staff. Then the guard gave me some earth kingdom clothing (a shirt and trousers) to wear other than my dress. When I finished changing, the two of us were dragged out of the prison, through a few halls and corridors, and finally into the throne room.

The king was seated on his throne and he watched the two of us curiously. He then asked, "First Avatar and Firebender, what do you think of my new outfit? I want your honest opinion."

At first I was surprised he knew I was a fire bender, but then I realized that's why I was here. He'd known all along probably. "I… guess it's fine," Aang said. Everyone then looked at me.

"Very colorful," I muttered, not really wanting to tell him I thought his bright green, blue, purple robe was the ugliest thing I'd ever seen.

"Excellent! You passed the first test!"

"Really?" we both asked in unison.

The king thought. "Well not one of the deadly tests. The real challenges are much more… challenging."

Aang suddenly turned furious. "I don't have time for your crazy games! Give me my friends back! We're leaving!"

"Yeah! You're stupid games are a huge waste of time!" I cried.

The king smirked. "Ooh, I thought you might refuse..."

Suddenly guards entered the room, Katara and Sokka being dragged behind. "Katara! Sokka!" I cried, only to be pulled back by guards. The guards with my terrified siblings pulled out some strange rings and put them on Katara and Sokka's fingers. They both tried to take off the rings but couldn't.

"So I will give your friends some special souvenirs. Those rings are made of pure genemite, also known as creeping crystal. It's crystal that grows remarkably fast. By nightfall your friends will completely covered in it. Terrible fate really. I can stop it, but only if you cooperate."

"Wait a second! I understand why Aang's doing this and all, but why me? There's no way I'll be able to do these challenges."

The king looked at me with a smirk. "You're doing these challenges because I only have two rings. If you're who I think you are then you'll be able to pass my tests."

"And who do you think I am?"

He grinned. "You're a fire bender." Then he broke out into snorts and laughs.

Glaring at him, I took a step forward but a guard grabbed me and yanked me back again. Then we were forced down some more hall's, a flight of stairs, and a cave like entrance. Inside there was a large cavern with a huge waterfall pouring from above. Huge stalagmites stuck up from the water below, and I noticed something was hanging inside the water fall. There also was a ladder that stood in the waterfall.

This whole set up was ridiculous.

"Move it, fire bender!" A guard ordered, then shoved me next to Aang who was already at the edge of a rocky platform. Aang looked down, then looked at me with concern. The soldier then turned and left. A second later we heard the king shout from a balcony in the cave.

"It seems I've lost my lunch box key and I'm hungry. Ooo, there it is! Would you two mind fetching it for me."

Looking over at the king, I saw behind him the strange crystal was already half way up Katara and Sokka's arms.

"How will you get there?" Aang asked, realizing I couldn't jump like he could.

Looking down at the water below, I wondered how deep it was and decided guessing couldn't hurt. Unless it killed me though. "Probably swim," I muttered.

We both then took in a deep breath. "Be careful," I whispered.

"You too," he said. Then he began to jump toward the waterfall with help from the stalagmites. Walking toward the edge of the platform, I closed my eyes hard, then jumped. The fall was quick, and I dove through the water feeling it's freezing temperature shock me for a moment.

Then I found myself back at the surface, and without a moment to waist, I began to swim toward the water fall. The water tried to push me away, but I fought the current as I swam toward the falls. When I got to the waterfall I pushed hard to break through and looked past the bubbles and darkness for the ladder. It was really hard to swim up since the water was pushing me back, but finally I got a hold of the ladder and began to climb it.

My hands could barely get a grip, and my lungs soon began to burn. No! I had to help Aang. The King said I could do it, so I had to prove to him he was right.

As if my determination were my motivation, I felt an odd power fill in my veins. Then I heard the voice of an older man say in my mind, _I am Avatar Roku… My blood runs through your veins. _

Surprised by the sudden voice I almost let go but held the ladder again. Then suddenly I felt as if my body were moving on it's own. My hands were pulling me up, and my feet were pushing against the ladders metal. It was almost as if a strange power had taken me over. Then finally I found I was at the end of the ladder and reached for the key. Looking through the fast waterfall, I saw Aang watching me with wide eyes.

The keys metal touched my hand and I grabbed it hard then yanked. It released from it's chain hold and immediately the power in my body left me. The water falling on top of me pushed me off the ladder and I screamed when I was shot out of the falls. Wind gushed past my ears a second, till suddenly a body slammed into my own pushing me back till I came to a hard stop.

Opening my eyes in surprise, I saw I was in Aang's arms as he landed us back on our original platform. Then he placed me down staring at me amazed. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?" I asked hoarsely, my hand clutching the key hard as my body trembled from the cold.

"You were glowing." Aang said. "Your whole body was glowing. It's like some strange barrier was placed around you to protect you."

Looking at my shaking hands, I felt greatly confused. Avatar Roku had spoken to me just before I lost control of my body. Did he somehow take me over to help me?

Aang then helped me up, and he looked at the king in fury. "There's your key! Enjoy your lunch! I want my friends back now!"

The king smirked while I continued to shake from the cold. "Uh, no. Not yet. I need help with another matter. It seems I've lost my pet Flopsy."

About an hour passed till Aang and I found ourselves in a large rocky room. Sokka and Katara were halfway covered by the strange crystal on their fingers.

"Let's get this over with," I muttered. My body was still damp from the water but at least I wasn't as cold.

Aang and I immediately searched around the arena for anything that could be this Flopsy. Eventually Aang located a rabbit on a rock, and the two of us began to chase after it around the arena. As this happened a huge beast with long ears came out of no where and began to chase us.

Both Aang and I called after Flopsy as the giant beast continued to chase us around the arena. It was when the bunny jumped through a small hole in the wall, that I understood. It seemed Aang did too. Looking at him, he nodded and we turned around to see the huge beast.

"Flopsy?" we both asked at the same time. The giant beast suddenly reached forward and grabbed me around the waist making me scream. Then a second later I felt it nuzzle it's nose on my cheek and lick me.

The pet then placed me down and rushed over to it's owner who then began to pet it and give it a belly rub. "Aww, yes." the king said.

"We're ready for your next challenge!" I yelled at the king, just wanting all of this child's play to be over.

The king broke into laughter then, and Aang and I were forced out of the room into another room. This one was a little smaller but completely made of nothing but earth. My siblings stood on one balcony almost completely covered by crystal, while the rest of us stood on another.

The king held a smug look on his face. "Your final test is a duel and as a special treat you two may choose your opponent. Point and choose.

Two large men appeared in the room suddenly, one holding an axe and the other flexing his muscles.

"So you're saying whoever we point to that's the person we get to fight?" Aang asked. Looking at Aang, I wondered just what he was thinking.

The king grinned. "Choose wisely."

"We… choose… You!" Aang was now pointing at the king and I widened my eyes in surprise.

"Wrong choice!" The king immediately drops his robes to show an enormous muscular body. Aang recoiled knowing he had chosen wrong.

Suddenly the king stamped on the ground, and Aang and I were thrown back by the earth beneath us. Landing hard on the ground below the balcony, I winced as I felt a bruise begin to form on my arm. This man was definitely skilled for his old age. He easily jumped from the balcony and landed in front of us.

"You thought I was a frail old man, but I'm the most powerful earth bender you'll ever see!"

"Can we fight the guy with the axe instead?" I asked fearfully, standing from the dirt.

The king smirked. "There are no take-back-sees in my kingdom!"

"Well there should be," I muttered.

The king ignored my comment and motioned toward a guard. "Here! You might need this," he said, then the guard tossed the glider down to Aang. He caught it easily and then the fight began.

The king began to throw boulders at us, and Aang and I ducked and dodged not wanting to be hit. "Typical air bending tactic: Avoid and evade. I'd hoped the Avatar would be less predictable. Ah well… Guess I'll just aim for the girl."

A large amount of boulders suddenly shot toward me and I screamed shooting my hands forward to throw fire. My fire melted through one, but another came right after and almost knocked into me. Aang jumped in front of me just in time and deflected the boulder sending it back toward the king.

The king smirked and thrust his hand upward sending the boulder to the rocky ceiling above. Rocks fell down and Aang and I both jumped to the side to avoid them. Then I saw Aang had lost his staff and rushed over to grab it. The king pulled the earth up under me and almost sent me flying, but I jumped back just in time.

Then I watched as Aang used an airball to float around the arena, and the king followed him determined. Without a moment of hesitation, I shot forward and pulled all my strength into one. Thrusting my hands forward with my palms out, I shot an enormous burst of fire through the air toward the king.

Bumi turned last minute and blocked my flame with earth, but the blast sent him sliding back a good ten feet.

"Yeah! That's my sister!" Sokka shouted, and I smiled feeling pretty good about myself.

The king looked a bit surprised by this last move, then said, "Could someone open a window in here. It's a bit stuffy. Are you trying to give me heat stroke?"

Glaring hard at him, I hissed, "If it will get my siblings back."

Aang suddenly dropped from his airball and landed beside me. The king grinned and pulled some earth up sending it flying at us. Aang and I were both hit and sent to the ground. Then the earth began to tremble and I saw a huge wave of rocks shoot toward is. Aang jumped but I was hit and sent flying back.

As soon as my head hit the earth I blacked out.

Sometime later I felt someone shake me roughly. Groaning, I opened my eyes to see Aang above me. "Kaya… I passed the challenge!"

Staring at him, I said weakly, "Great… Can we leave?"

Aang helped me up then, and I saw the king standing back on his balcony with Katara and Sokka. "Not yet," the king smirked. "You have to answer one question."

Aang suddenly pulled me in his arms and used his bending to jump us onto the balcony. The after he placed me down he shot forward at the king yelling, "That's not fair! You said you would release our friends if we finished your tests!"

"Oh… But what's the point of the tests if you don't learn anything."

Rubbing the back of my head, I felt the warm liquid of blood. Guess it was a worse fall than I thought.

Sokka suddenly groaned. "Oh come on!" Looking over I saw his whole body was almost completely covered in crystal. Katara was in the same boat.

"Answer this one question and I will set your friends free. What… is my name?" The king asked.

Glaring at him, I muttered, "You mean your birth name or the name I really want to call you?"

My brother smirked, while Katara rolled her eyes, Aang looked over at me with confusion, and the king ignored me. "From the looks of your friends I'd say you only have a few minutes." Then the king turned and left, and I watched him go with steam coming from my fists.

A second later Aang and my siblings were discussing what his name could possibly be. "Think about the challenges. Maybe it's some kind of riddle," Katara said, deep in thought.

"Or the dude's just insane," I said, touching my head where the blood was still flowing.

After a second of thought, Sokka suddenly shouted, "I got it! He's an earth bender right? Rocky! You know… because of all the rocks."

"That's pretty smart," I said.

Katara nodded in agreement. "We're gonna keep trying, but that is a good backup."

"Okay… So back to the challenges," Aang said. "Kaya and I got a key from the waterfall, saved his pet, and had a duel.

"And what did you learn?" Katara asked.

Pulling from my head, I muttered, "The guy's crown is too tight." Sokka laughed and smirked at me.

Aang continued as if I had never spoken. "Well everything was different than I expected."

"And…?" Katara asked.

Aang thought some more. "Well they weren't straight forward. To solve each test we had to think differently than we usually would." Then after another moment Aang grinned. "I know his name!"

"Good… Then let's get this over with before my siblings are permanent statues," I muttered.

The guards returned about ten minutes later and earth bent my siblings out of the arena back to the throne room. Aang and I followed behind, I prayed Aang really did know what the kings name was.

When we got to the throne room I noticed King Bumi was hunched over again playing the part of an old man. Letting Aang do the talking, I stared at my brother and sister anxiously. They were almost completely covered.

"Well… What is your answer young avatar?" the king asked.

Aang began to speak. "I solved the question the same way Kaya and I solved the challenges. As you said a long time ago, I had to open my brain to the possibilities…"

Looking at Aang with surprise, I looked over at the Earth King who was laughing with question. Aang had met this man before?

"Bumi… You're a mad genius!" Aang cried, then ran forward and the two lost friends embraced.

"Oh, Aang. It's good to see you. You haven't changed a bit. Literally," Bumi said. My mouth opened wide with amazement. Aang knew this man from over a hundred years ago. This guy had to be 112 like Aang!

"Uh, over here!" Katara suddenly cried.

"A little help!" Sokka said, watching as his crystal began to envelope his head.

The king thrust his hands forward and the crystals flew from my siblings bodies. The king caught a piece and said, "Genemite is rock candy." He takes a bite with a smile. "Delicious."

"So this crazy nut job is your old friend from a hundred years ago?" I asked Aang, unable to believe my siblings were never actually in any danger.

The king pouted. "Who you calling old?" Then after a moment he said, "Okay. I'm old."

"Why did you do all this instead of just telling Aang who you are?" Sokka asked.

Bumi smirked. "First of all, it's fun to mess with people." Then he turned serious. "But I did have a reason. Aang, you have a difficult task ahead. The world has changed in the hundred years you've been gone. It's the duty of the avatar to restore balance to the world by defeating the Fire Lord, and when you do I hope you will think like a mad genius."

At the mention of the Fire Lord an image shot through my mind. There was a wall of fire blazing in front of a throne. On the throne sat a powerful looking man with hard gold eyes and an a sharp goatee. His hair was black and his skin was pale. He was my father.

Gasping, I looked up to see everyone was looking at me with worry (well Bumi was watching curiously).

"Kaya… What did you see?" Katara asked.

Looking at her, I weakly said, "My father… I saw my father."

King Bumi stepped forward then, saying, "I remember stories of the Fire Lord having a third child." He pulled something out of his robe then and held it out to me. "When I saw you, I knew you were her."

Taking the paper from him, I looked down at it and gasped. My eyes landed on the faces of my past family. There was Zuko in his younger form, my mother who looked so similar to my own appearance, and me. My four year old self was seated in my mothers lap as she hugged me close.

Tears were spilling down my eyes as I looked down at the paper in my hands. Though I still couldn't remember all the important details, I knew deep in my heart this was my family.

I was the Fire Lord's daughter. I was the enemy.

That night we stayed in normal rooms in the palace. Katara and I were in the same room while the boys were beside us. Sitting on the soft bed with a dark green blanket, I stared down at the two bracelets on my hand with agony.

"Kaya…" Katara's voice called across the room, and I looked up at her with question. She smiled weakly. "You were really great out there. You're becoming a very powerful bender."

Sighing, I muttered, "Thanks."

Katara frowned and came over to my side. "This doesn't change anything," Katara promised, taking my hand into her own. Looking at her, I could tell she was speaking the truth. "You're still our sister Kaya. We don't care about your past."

"I know… I just can't believe my father is such a terrible man. There's no telling how much blood is on his hands. I don't want a father like that," I whispered.

"Just because he's your birth parent doesn't mean he's your father. A father is someone who wants to protect his children and care for them. It doesn't seem like the Fire Lord does any of that."

Smiling weakly, I nodded. "Yeah… I guess."

A knock on the door suddenly sounded and Katara went to answer it. Sokka and Aang came in and walked over to me.

Sokka was the first to speak. "I know this isn't a great time, Kaya, but we really want to know what happened during that first challenge?"

Aang nodded. "Yeah! You were glowing! There was a ball of light around you!"

Looking down at my bracelets I shrugged. "It was strange… At first I was about to lose my grip, but then I heard this voice and it felt-"

"Voice? What did it say to you? Who was it?" Sokka asked.

"I think it was Avatar Roku," I muttered.

Aang's eyes widened, and I could tell he believed me. "What did he say?"

"He said his blood runs through my veins or something like that," I answered.

The room was silent for a moment, then Aang said, "It's a possibility… You're fire nation, and a pretty good fire bender."

"So Roku took you over then?" Katara asked.

Biting my lip, I nodded.

"That's weird." Sokka muttered. Aang elbowed him in the side, and I smiled.

"Yeah… It is weird," I whispered. "Very weird."

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**I don't know when I'll get the next chapter up. Hurricane Sandy is almost here and we'll probably lose power so it might be a week or so till I can get the next chapter up. Thanks for the reviews. =)**


	6. Imprisoned

**Hurricane Sandy thankfully only made us lose power for a day, so here's the next chapter. It's short but the next one will be longer. =) Thanks again for the reviews.**

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Sitting on a small stone platform by a stream, I braided my long black hair as Aang and Katara talked about what we should eat. It had been three days since we'd left King Bumi, and now we were headed a straight course toward the Northern Water Tribe. Sokka was out somewhere, looking for food I presumed, and I wondered when he'd be back. Momo sat in my lap pouting from his lack of food.

Footsteps suddenly approached and I turned my head to see Sokka walking toward us. In his hand was a sack with something inside.

"Great, your back! What's for dinner?" Aang asked.

Momo jumped off of me to run over to Sokka, and I stood approaching as well. Sokka held the bag open and looked in. "We've got a few option. First, round nuts and some kind of oval shaped nuts, and some rocked shaped nuts that… might just be rocks. Dig in!" He pulled a rock shaped nut out of the bag and tossed it. Momo ran over an grabbed it.

"Seriously! Nuts! Do you honestly think I'm eating nuts for breakfast?" I asked, crossing my arms and glaring at him.

Katara was calmer, saying, "Seriously… What else you got?"

Sokka looked back in the bag as if food would magically appear. Then a loud slam suddenly echoed from the mine shafts a few meters from us, and the three of us turned in surprise.

"What was that?!" Sokka cried.

Another slam rang out again and I jumped forward with terror grabbing onto the first arm I could find. Sokka looked at me surprised, then gently pried my hard grip from his arm.

"It's coming from over there," Aang said pointing at the mine field. Then Katara and him ran toward it while Sokka and I watched with amazement.

"Shouldn't we run away from huge booms- not toward them?" Sokka asked. Shrugging, I decided it was best to go after them and took off running to catch up. Sokka followed behind.

When we got into the mine area we found a fallen log, and then saw a boy in earth kingdom clothing with long dark brown hair. He was circling around a boulder with his arms outstretched, as if he was trying to control it. He then picked up the boulder suddenly making it levitate off the ground.

"An earth bender," I whispered in amazement.

"Let's go meet him," Aang exclaimed.

Sokka sighed. "He looks dangerous so we better approach cautiously."

Katara had vanished from beside me, and I watched with horror as she ran in front of the log shouting at the boy, "Hello there! I'm Katara! What's your name?"

The boy looked over at Katara in surprise, then dropped his rock and ran away. As he went he bent rocks on each side of him causing the path to be blocked.

"Nice to meet!" Aang called after he disappeared.

"We just wanted to say hi," Katara muttered.

"Maybe he's just really shy," I said.

After a second of thought, Aang suddenly said, "Hey! That guy's got to be running somewhere. Maybe we're near a village, and I bet that village has a market."

"Which means no nuts for dinner!" I cried with relief. Aang and Katara took off and I followed behind.

"Hey," Sokka complained from behind. "I worked hard to get those nuts!"

After a good five minutes we came upon a small village in a steep valley. There were fire nation soldiers leaning against the walls casually, but Aang and my siblings didn't seem to notice. Backing away slightly, I bumped into Sokka who looked at me curiously.

Suddenly Katara cried, "Hey!" We all looked at her confused, then watched her run into a nearby building. Following behind I noticed Aang was wearing a huge straw hat and almost rolled my eyes.

When we got inside the building, I saw the same boy from earlier staring at us in horror. An older woman stood beside him, and I had a feeling she was his mother.

"Hey! You're that kid. Why did you run before?" Katara asked.

The boy looked terrified, but calmly said, "Uh. You must have me confused with some other kid."

Something wasn't right here, and I had a feeling it had something to do with the fire nation soldiers outside.

Aang was oblivious to the boys terror and said, "No she doesn't, we saw you earth bending."

The boys mother ran past me and slammed the door and windows shut. "They saw you doing what?" she asked in terror.

Haru looked anxious. "They're crazy mom! I mean look at how they're dressed!"

The four of us looked at our clothing. My clothing was a water tribe shirt and trousers. My siblings were no different. The only weird looking one was Aang, and that's because he was wearing a ridiculous hat.

"You know how dangerous that is! You know what would happen if they caught you earth bending!" his mother cried.

"They?" I asked.

Suddenly a knock on the door sounded and Sokka peered out one of the windows. Then he turned to us in terror. "Fire Nation! Act natural!"

Looking at Aang I muttered, "Like that's possible."

As the mother went to answer the door we all got in our positions. I leaned casually against the table in the room, Haru stood beside me trying to do the same, Katara held a basket, Aang was leaning on a barrel, and Sokka was pretending to eat.

The door opened and three fire nation soldiers entered, the leader looking around the room curiously. The lid on the barrel Aang was leaning on slipped and his hand fell in the water making me slap my forehead in disbelief.

"What do you want?! I've already paid you this week!" the mother spat.

The soldier grinned. "The tax just doubled… Wouldn't want an accident would we?" He then lit his hand with a flame and I watched with disbelief. "Fire is sometimes so hard to control."

This was wrong… These fire nation soldiers were taking advantage of everyone.

The mother walked over to a chest on a table and took out some coins, then turned back to the soldier. Deep inside I knew I had to do something to stop this. If I was the fire lords daughter then it was my responsibility to make sure my own people stayed in line.

Just as the woman was about to hand over the coins, I took a few steps forward earning shocked glances from my family. The soldier looked at me while I approached, and when he saw my eyes his own widened.

"You! You're fire nation!" he cried.

Narrowing my eyes at him, I said, "Well you are too."

The soldier glared, forgetting about the money, and walked over to me. "What are you doing among these village freaks?"

Smirking, I said, "Stopping monsters like you. I'm tired of you filthy scum treating people like their worthless. If anyone's worthless here it's you and the rest of the fire nation soldiers out there."

The man's fists began to steam. "You traitor! You would dishonor your own nation?!"

"Hate to be the breaker of bad news dude, but I'm water tribe," I spat.

The soldier scowled and then reached forward to grab me. Without another moment to waste I ducked under his arm and took off outside. He and his two partners followed behind me shouting for me to stop.

At least I got them away from the boy and his mother, but most importantly I got them away from Aang.

Running through the village, I pushed past surprised villagers and darted down any street I could find. When I looked back a few minutes later I saw that about ten other soldiers were now chasing me. Knowing I couldn't keep it up forever, I stopped running and turned to fight. The soldiers all got into fire bending stances like my own, and I was prepared for the worst.

"Wait!" the original soldier ordered, stepping through the men with fury plastered across his face. "Don't hurt her… The warden will want to meet her."

Without a second thought, I shot a flame forward to try and clear a path, but someone in armor grabbed me from behind and pulled my hands behind my back. "Great…" I muttered, knowing I was trapped and there was no escape.

**Sokka POV**

Out of all the things Kaya had done in her life this was the worse. She'd just surrendered herself over to the fire nation. Even though I understood why she did, I still couldn't believe she did. She knew they would want to bring her in for being a traitor, and yet she sacrificed herself anyway.

We just had to find a way to save her.

"Who was she?" Haru asked, staring at the empty doorway with amazement.

Katara was holding onto my arm with terror as she answered, "Our sister."

"But how? She's fire nation!" he cried, confusion sweeping over his face.

Sighing, I said, "Our father found her nine years ago on a fire nation vessel. We took her in and she became a part of our family."

Haru looked surprised, then he weakly smiled. "She's got guts."

"Yeah… She does," I muttered.

**Kaya POV**

"Let go of me!" I screamed, as a soldier began to pull me on a boat. The soldiers had already lost me twice, but each time I ran they managed to catch me. "Let go!"

The soldiers grabbed my kicking legs and practically dropped me in the boat. Then when they had me in the boat a really buff soldier restrained me by locking his arms around me. "Where are you taking me?!" I cried, trying to burn my restrainers.

Someone punched me in the gut and I doubled over in pain. The original soldier, who I learned was General Rai, looked at me with furious eyes. "You best start behaving girl, or I'll send you straight to the Fire Lord himself where you will most likely be executed."

At once I stopped struggling terror filling in my blood. What would happen if my father saw me again? Deep in my gut I had a feeling it wouldn't be good.

The boat took me, General Rai, and five other soldiers away from the small mining village toward open water. After half an hour of floating to who knows where I saw it. A giant prison stood in front of our boat, steam coming from different pipes on the massive steel fortress.

When we docked on the steel boards the soldiers grabbed me and yanked me up from the boat. Then they began to drag me past some more soldiers, some sad looking people dressed in very ugly brown clothing, and then toward a large building that I assumed the soldiers hung out in.

Shoving me down some steel hallways, past a door that said 'Kitchen', and into a door that said 'Warden' I came face to face with an old man with sharp features and hard eyes. He almost looked at me like Zhao had. Ready to kill.

"This her?" he asked in a deep voice that made me cringe.

"Yes sir," General Rai said, then shoved me forward. "The disgrace to our nation."

The Warden looked into my eyes intensely, then said to the soldier, "Leave us."

The men behind me exited the room, and General Rai grabbed my tied hands behind me tightening the rope. Hissing from the pain, I glared at the General as he left. Then the door was shut locking me in with this guy who could kill me at any moment.

Walking behind his desk, he sat down and pulled out some paper. "Take a seat," he pretty much ordered. Looking at the comfortable cushioned chair, I decided there wasn't much of a choice so I sat down.

He pulled out a pen and then began to write something. Peering over the desk I tried to see but his handwriting was really sloppy. "So… Let's start with the first question. What is your name?" he asked.

Looking away from him, I muttered, "Why would I tell you?"

The Warden smirked. "Because miss… I decide whether you live or die."

Gulping, I felt my heart beat quicken. "Kaya… My name's Kaya."

The Warden wrote it down, but I saw him add a question mark as if he didn't believe me. He then looked up at me with emotionless eyes. "You're in a load of trouble. Working with the enemy, fighting Fire Nation soldiers. We could have you killed right here, right now."

"Why don't you then?" I asked.

The Warden narrowed his eyes. "Because I'm curious about your story. Why are you working with the enemy?"

Sighing, I said, "I'm not fire nation. I'm water tribe."

"Oh really," he sneered, then he stood and walked around the table so that he was only a foot away from me. "Water Tribe, eh? Then tell me why you hold the features of the fire nation."

Shrugging, I muttered, "Genetic mutation."

The man suddenly slapped me hard, his nails actually cutting my cheek. I gasped and winced from the pain. Then he got really close to my ear and hissed, "I know who you really are."

"Oh yeah… Who's that?" I weakly asked.

The man sneered at me. "You're that girl that's been traveling with the Avatar. The fire nation girl who was kidnapped by the water tribe and made into-"

"Kidnapped?! You got it all wrong buddy… The water tribe saved me! It was your kind that kidnapped me and tried to kill me."

The man laughed. "And where's your proof on that one?"

Glaring at him, I jumped up and yelled, "Ask Commander Zhao!"

The man was taken back by this, then his eyes narrowed. "I'm done with you," he hissed. Grabbing me by the shoulder, he shoved me out of his room into the hold of some guards. "Take this traitor to the other prisoners. She's just more worthless scum."

The guards obeyed and began to shove me away from the warden. Looking back at him, I yelled, "Just wait till we win this war! Then you'll be sorry you were ever born!" The man's furious eyes were the last thing I saw as we rounded the corner.

Before the guards took me to the prison area, one of the soldiers shoved me into a room, untied me, and handed me some dull colored clothing. "Get dressed," he ordered, then he noticed the two bracelets on my wrist. He went to grab them but I yanked my hand away in terror.

"Please… Don't," I begged, praying he wouldn't. The soldier looked into my eyes unsure, then understanding filled his own.

Nodding, he said, "I didn't see them." He then smiled weakly at me and left the room.

"Thank you," I whispered, just as the door closed.

After I changed, I handed over my water tribe clothing to the guards, and then they led me through the halls and back outside. A huge gate stood in front of me which was attached to a large steel wall. They really didn't want people escaping.

"Open the gates!" A guard with me ordered, and the giant steel gate pulled up creating a walkway for the guards to push me through. When we got to the other side I saw about fifty people, men, women, and children, all huddled in different circles eating some strange stew.

"Welcome to your new home," a prison guard sneered at me when I entered. Then the gates closed behind me and I was trapped.


	7. Escape

**Here's the next chapter. Thanks for the review. =)**

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Sighing, I walked across the prison deck toward a group of people sitting in a circle. There were three children, three women (two young and one old), and four men. One of the men was about fifty, and he looked at me with a smile.

"Hello there," he said. Then he scooted over offering me a spot beside him. Smiling weakly I took a seat and looked at the faces around me. They all looked so tired, lost, and scared. My heart ached for these people. They needed someone to save them.

"My names Tyro," the same man said. "You don't look like an earth bender."

Looking down at my crossed legs I said, "Kaya. And I'm not."

"Then did you anger the fire nation?" A woman asked.

"Something like that," I whispered. Then I looked up and met the woman's eyes. At first she smiled kindly at me, but then she saw the color of my eyes and gasped. "You- you're a fire bender!"

Immediately the men in the circle with me jumped forward and I was shoved to the ground hard. One man spat as he clutched my throat, "You're spying on us you monster!" The other man was pulling on my hair yelling, "I'll kill you fire nation swine."

Suddenly the older man Tyro yanked the two men off of me, and I let in a hard gasp for air. Looking wildly around I saw the guards had slowly began to approach but stopped when they saw Tyro had gotten a hold on the situation.

A second later Tyro was helping me sit up, and then he ordered the two men to leave the circle. They stomped away muttering something about getting what I deserved.

"You okay?" Tyro asked glancing at my bloodied lip and a bruise forming on my arm with worry.

Smiling weakly, I said, "Yeah… I'm use to it."

Tyro then asked why I was in prison and I told him. Told him about the fire nation trying to kill me. Told him how my water tribe parents took me in. Then I told him how I was journeying with the Avatar and how I was seen as a traitor for it.

After people found out I was trying to help them instead of hurt them they began to accept me. A few women helped to clean my cuts, while a few children sat around me and asked to hear stories about the Avatar. By night time I was practically family with everyone at the prison.

Tyro offered me a blanket as they were passing them out, but I declined. There were far more people who needed it. Plus my fire bending abilities made my body temperature warmer than others.

That night when I fell asleep, I dreamed.

_"Zuko!" I called, my six year old self running into my brothers room terrified. My brother was asleep in bed, and when he heard me he jumped out of it and got into a fire bending stance. His eyes were alert, as if he hadn't just been asleep._

_When he saw me run over to him and hug my arms around his body he relaxed. "Let me guess… Nightmare?"_

_Nodding, I pressed my face into my brothers night shirt. He hugged me to him to try to comfort me. "It was scary… A monster came and took me away from you and mommy. He kept saying that I was never going back home! I don't want to be taken away."_

_Zuko sighed, his young face filled with relief. "You won't, Amber. I promise I'll protect you."_

_Looking into his loving gold orbs, I whispered, "Okay… I believe you."_

Waking up, I found it was still dark and everyone was still sleeping. Everyone but a few guards leaning against the side of the wall. Deciding I wasn't tired, I sat up and pulled my knees close to my chest. Then I thought about Zuko.

Did he know that my nightmare would actually come true? Had he tried to save me when Zhao was taking me away? Did he still care about me like he once did nine years ago?

Why did I even care?

The rest of the night I just stared up at the stars. There were enough bright ones for me to see, but the prison smoke made them appear faded. When the sun came up in the morning I was still staring up at the sky.

Tyro came over to me around dawn and asked what I was staring at. Smiling, I said, "It was the stars. Now it's just pollution."

Tyro laughed, then offered his hand to me. Taking it he pulled me up and asked me to give him a hand. Following him around the prison yard he collected the blankets from people as they woke up, and then he handed them to me for carrying.

As we gathered the blankets, I asked, "So you've been here a while?"

Tyro folded a blanket answering, "Five years. We tried to defend our village from the fire nation but they eventually over took us."

As he placed the folded blanket on my growing pile, I frowned and said, "I'm sorry… I wish there was something I could do to help."

Tyro looked sad, then turned and continued walking. "The only thing that can help us now, is if the Avatar wins this war once and for all."

After he said that I remained silent in thought.

After we gathered all the blankets I placed them in the corner of the prison where they stayed till night time. Then Tyro led me over to the cook who was passing out bowls of some kind of soup. Getting my bowl, I saw the soup was no longer hot nor warm and glared at the cook with annoyance.

"Really? You can't even keep a simple flame going under the soup. Pride of the Fire Lord's army you are," I spat.

The cook glared at me and clenched his wrinkly fists. "Better watch it girl, or I'll report you to the warden," he hissed.

Tyro watched me with amazement as I stepped toward the man and hissed, "You better watch it old man, because one day when we win this war, you'll be the one wishing for a warm meal."

Then turning on my heel I stomped away. Just above the steel wall, I noticed the Warden was watching me with a smirk. Glaring up at him, I sat down beside my new friends and began to eat my soup. It was cold, tasted like dirt, and left a gross after taste in my mouth. This cook was absolutely terrible.

Tyro sat beside me a few moments later, and to my surprise I saw his soup was heated. Smiling to myself, I continued to eat my soup.

"You're an interesting young woman," Tyro said, watching me eat with respect.

Putting my half eaten bowl down, I said, "I just want to help."

A few hours passed, and I had helped Tyro gather the bowls for the cook to wash. When the cook saw me he shrunk back and quickly took the bowls, then ran inside so he could get away from me. It made me feel pretty good knowing the cook was scared of me.

As I was just about to return to Tyro and the others, I suddenly heard a voice shout, "Kaya!"

Turning in surprise, I saw the boy from yesterday rush over to me. He was wearing similar clothing to my own, and he looked relieved to see me.

"The others are worried sick about you," he said, coming in front of me. Now that I looked at him more clearly I could see he was pretty cute.

Smiling weakly, I said, "They worry too much."

"Haru?" Tyro suddenly said, and Haru and I looked over to see the old man with his mouth wide open.

Haru's eyes widened. "Dad?" he asked.

Tyro's mouth pulled into a smile, and he rushed forward grabbing his son into a hug. "My son… I can't believe it's you. You've grown into such a strong young man."

"We've missed you so much dad," Haru said.

Deciding to let the two men reunite alone, I turned and made my way across the deck. If Haru was captured, then were Aang and my siblings captured too?

Falling against the steel wall that surrounded our prison, I prayed that my family and Aang were safe.

Leaning against the wall for a few minutes, I looked around watching as Haru was welcomed by the other prisoners. They all seemed so happy to see him, but I could see deep inside all of them were sad he had been captured too. Why did the Fire Nation have to hurt so many people?

"Hey! Traitor!" A guard suddenly hissed in my ear. "The Warden wants to see you."

Looking at the man whose face was concealed by a mask, I hissed, "Tell him I don't want to see him."

The guard grabbed my arm hard, and I gasped as I was yanked away from the wall. Then I was pulled away from the prison deck, past the gate, and back into the same building from before. Instead of being taken to the Warden's office like before, I was shoved hard into a dark room with a chain on the wall.

"Wait!" I cried, then turned and went to run. The guard shoved me onto the cold steel floor and strapped the chain to my wrist. "What are you doing?"

The guard looked back at me and grinned. "Giving you what you deserve, traitor." Then he turned and closed the door behind, the steel squeaking as it was moved. Then the lock was turned on the outside leaving me in the pitch black. Making me remember.

_"Put her in here," Zhao ordered, and my six year old form was shoved into a dark room with a chain connected to the wall. "The Fire Lord won't be pleased if she escapes."_

_Tears were streaming down my eyes. "Why! Why is daddy doing this!"_

_Zhao sneered. "Because you're a disgrace to him. No father wants to fear his own child," he spat. Then he sent his men out and they closed the door behind leaving Zhao and I alone. He lit a flame in his hand, and I saw the fire reflect in his cold eyes._

_"Let's play a game," he hissed. Then he stepped forward and grabbed my arm burning my flesh. Screams escaped me as the torture began._

With a gasp I came back to reality. Then I looked around the dark room and felt fear boil inside me. My heart began to quicken, and sobs began to escape me. To say I was scared was an understatement. I was utterly terrified.

The door opened a few minutes later followed by it closing, and by that point I'd curled into a ball and was crying my heart out. "Not so tough now, are you," The Warden suddenly hissed in my ear. "I'll make you pay for telling my cook what to do." Then suddenly I saw his hand light with fire, and I knew what was about to happen. Closing my eyes, I braced myself for the pain.

The sharp fire burned into my shoulder and I cried out falling on my side. "I hate people like you," he hissed. "You can't accept the fact that you've lost."

Another fire blast burned into my back and I cried out again in agony. "The Avatar will stop you! He'll rid this world of you monsters!" He shot another blast at me and I screamed again clutching my side.

"The Avatar will be dead in no time. That kid is no threat," he hissed.

"You don't know him then," I spat.

The warden shot another flame, this one hitting my shoulder again. Gritting my teeth, I tried hard not to scream again. "And I suppose you do," he growled.

"Yes," I hissed through my teeth.

He fired again, but this time I rolled away and jumped to my feet. The Warden was surprised, and he tried to shoot again. His flame missed me by an inch and instead burned my chains melting them. Then when he was still in shock, I ran forward and shoved him hard against the dark room.

"Let me out of here, right now," I hissed venomously, holding a flame to his face.

Silence filled the room, and I saw the Warden was terrified by my flame. He knocked on the door a moment later, and it opened making us both stumble out into the hall. The guards were surprised and weren't sure whether to wait for the Warden's order or grab me anyway.

"Guards," the Warden said with a shaky breath. "Please take her back to the prison deck."

At once I extinguished my flame, then released the warden. He backed away from me in terror, and the guards hesitantly took a step forward. Ignoring them, I began to walk back the way I came, and the guards followed close to me but not touching me.

When we got back to the prison deck, I walked past the concerned glances of the prisoners toward Haru and his father. They were seated in a circle still talking to one another when I approached. I'd only been gone for about thirty minutes, so they probably hadn't noticed my absence.

When I approached, Haru looked up with a smile and immediately his eyes turned to shock. "Kaya!" He jumped up from where he sat, and went to grab my arms to hold me steady. "What happened to you? You're covered in burns."

Smiling weakly, I whispered, "Don't ever threaten the cook. The Warden doesn't like it." Then I fell forward into Haru's arms as my body grew weak. That was the last I remembered before I blacked out.

When I came to a few hours later, I opened my eyes and winced at the sun. It was past noon, so the sun was high in the sky. Looking around, I saw there were a few people talking quietly around me, and I noticed my head was rested on a blanket. Groaning from the pain on my shoulder, side, and stomach, I tried to sit up but was pushed back by a young strong hand.

"Probably best not to move," Tyro said from beside me, and I looked over to see he was wrapping gauze around my shoulder. Where he got it was a question to me. Haru was the one who had pushed me down, and he wasn't happy from what I could see.

Suddenly I heard the gates open once more, and I looked over to see the new arrivals. To my utter surprise, I saw Katara.

Gasping, I tried to sit up but pain erupted through my body and I fell back once more. Haru saw Katara when I did this, and he stood with surprise. "Katara?"

She looked over only seeing him at first, then smiled widely. "Haru!" She ran over and hugged him, and he hugged her back.

"What are you doing here?" Haru asked.

Katara frowned. "It's my fault you were captured. I came to rescue you and Kaya."

"So you got yourself arrested?" Haru asked.

Katara shrugged. "It was the only way to find you."

Haru smiled. "You got guts Katara, just like your sister." When he said this he winced. Katara looked at him in question, then he glanced over at me. Katara's blue eyes immediately met my gold and she gasped. "Kaya!" She cried, and ran over to me with relief.

Then she saw the gauze on my shoulder and her eyes widened. "What happened?!"

Smiling weakly, I said, "I'm not on good terms with the Warden."

Katara sighed and shook her head in disbelief. "We can't leave you alone for two seconds, can we?"

"You know me… Always getting into trouble," I joked.

Katara laughed softly and brushed her hand softly across my sweaty forehead. "You're crazy."

"But you love me anyway," I muttered.

After making sure I was okay and comfortable, Katara turned back to Haru who quickly introduced his father Tyro. The Katara asked him about what the escape plans were, and Tyro told her it was more about surviving than escaping.

"I mean look at your sister… She resisted and this is how she ended up. The Warden is a ruthless man and he won't stand for any rebellion," Tyro said.

Opening my eyes, I saw Katara look around the circle of people with determination. "We'll see about that." She stood then, and began to walk off toward the middle of the prison deck. With terror I jumped up earning a shout from Haru. Then I grabbed Katara's arm hard, and she turned in surprise.

"Don't Katara," I begged. "He'll hurt you."

Katara looked at my burns, then she looked into my eyes. "I have to do something. These people need help." She then turned and walked over to the table where the food was served. Grabbing the top to the stew pot, and the spoon, she stepped on the table and banged the pan until everyone was looking at her.

"Earth benders! You don't know me but I know you! Every child of my water tribe village was rocked to sleep with stories of the brave Earth Kingdom and the brave earth benders who guard it's borders." As Katara spoke I glanced up at the top of the wall where the Warden stood, watching my sister with a smirk.

"Some of you may think the Fire Nation has made you powerless. Yes they have taken away your ability to bend, but they can't take away your courage, and it is your courage you should truly fear! Because it runs deeper than any mine you've been forced to dig, any ocean that keeps you far from home! It is the strength of your hearts that make you who you are, hearts that will remain unbroken when all rock and stone has eroded away! The time to fight back is now! I can tell you the Avatar has returned! So remember your courage, earth benders, let us fight for our freedom!"

Though Katara's speech was very touching and held so much promise, the earth benders around us were so broken and lost, that they were too scared to fight. Katara frowned and stepped off the table. Stepping over to her, I touched her shoulder in comfort.

"You tried," I said. "That's all that matters."

Katara looked at me and nodded, but I could still see something in her eyes. I could still see determination.

When we got back to Haru and his father, Haru looked frustrated with himself while his father looked despaired.

There had to be something we could do for these people.

That night I fell asleep beside Katara. She'd forced me to sleep on the blanket because of my injuries, and I really didn't complain with her. It was around midnight when I suddenly felt someone shake my shoulder. Groaning, I woke up to find Katara and Aang standing above me.

"Come on Kaya," Aang whispered.

Not entirely sure what was going on, I got up and groggily followed Aang and Katara out of the prison walls, through some dark halls, and onto an empty dock where Appa sat with Sokka on his back. Sokka looked relieved to see me, and then said to Katara, "Your 12 hours are up, where's Haru? We have to get out of here."

Katara shook her head in refusal. "I can't."

"We don't have much time. There are guards everywhere. Get on," Sokka begged.

Aang looked at Katara as she backed away. "Katara… What's wrong?"

"I'm not leaving… I'm not giving up on these people."

Sokka immediately jumped off of Appa and walked over to us with confusion. "What do you mean you're not leaving?!"

"We can't abandon these people. There has to be a way to help them," Katara said with determination.

Sighing, I said, "Katara's right Sokka… These people need help. We can't just leave and forgot about them."

Sokka looked over at me then, and he saw my singed shirt with the gauze wrapped underneath. He immediately shook his head. "No way… Kaya's hurt already. The last thing we need is you getting hurt too," Sokka said to Katara.

Aang looked in thought now, then said, "Maybe they're right. What do you say, Sokka?"

Sokka looked at a loss now. "I say you're all crazy!" A searchlight suddenly traveled in our direction and we bent down so the guards wouldn't see us. Sokka then whispered, "Last chance- we need to leave now!"

Katara shook her head defiantly. "No."

"I hate when you get like this," Sokka muttered. We suddenly heard footsteps and Sokka hissed, "Come on. We better hide."

Aang quickly told Appa to go hide, then he turned back to us and we rushed down the dock to hide. Eventually we found some barrels and crates to hide behind, and I sat and leaned against one with exhaustion. It had been a very long day.

"We don't have much time. What are we gonna do?" Sokka asked.

Aang suddenly grinned. "I wish I could make a hurricane. The Warden would runaway and we could steal his keys."

"Wouldn't he just take his keys with him?" I asked, holding my side where my burn was starting to really ache. When I got my hands on that Warden I'd kill him.

Aang groaned. "I'm just tossing ideas around."

Katara sighed. "I tried talking the earth benders into fighting back, but it didn't work. If there was just a way to help them help themselves."

Sokka went into thought. "For that they'd need some kind of earth, or some rock… Something they could bend."

Suddenly an idea sprung in my mind. "Hey… Is coal considered earth?" The three of them looked at me in surprise. "Because when they were dragging me to the torture chamber earlier I saw a door that said Coal."

"That makes sense!" Aang said. "They have to be burning something to make smoke like that. It's coal!"

Sokka nodded, "I have a plan."

After he told us his plan, Aang ran off to go crawl through the vents and Katara, Sokka, and I returned to the prison deck. We snuck past the guards through a side door, then quickly rushed across the deck to some more crates.

There was a vent under us as we waited for the sun to rise. When dawn came Katara started to get anxious. "It's almost dawn, we're running out of time! Are you sure this will work?"

Sokka nodded. "It should. These vents remind me of our little trick back at the village. We're gonna do the same thing but on a bigger scale."

"What trick?" I asked.

Sokka ignored me and continued talking, making me roll my eyes and sit back against the crate behind me. As Sokka went to explain about the vents being connected to the coal below, and how Aang closed off all the vents except for one, I looked around and my eyes widened. The guards had spotted us and were rushing over.

"There's the intruders!" A guard shouted. Immediately all three of us were on our feet, and Sokka pulled his boomerang out standing in front of Katara and I.

"Stay back, I'm warning you," Sokka ordered, raising his boomerang ready to attack.

Tyro suddenly ran forward and cried, "Kaya, Katara stop! You two can't win this fight!"

The Warden was suddenly in front of us, and he said coldly, "Listen to him well girls. You're one mistake away from dying where you stand."

The guards begin to close in and we all gasp with terror. "Come on Aang," I muttered under my breath, sweat beading down my forehead. Dying wasn't really on my to do list.

Suddenly the steel floor below us began to rumble, and a moment later coal shot up from the vent in front of us creating a huge mound of coal. Aang jumped up behind it, covered in soot, and landed on the pile easily. Then he coughed while Katara ran up the pile and grabbed a piece of coal.

"Here's your chance Earth Benders! Take it! Your fate is in your own hands!" Katara cried.

Looking around, I watched as the Earth Benders remained where they all stood, and I frowned. These people were too broken and scared to fight.

The Warden suddenly burst into laughter, then sneered at my sister. "Foolish girl! You thought a few inspirational words and some coal would change these people? Look at these blank hopeless faces. Their spirits were broken a long time ago. Oh, but you still believe in them? How sweet… They're a waste of your energy little girl. You've failed."

With rage, I lit a flame in my hand and shot forward. The Warden had turned and didn't see me coming, so when I hit him he flew forward on the deck with a loud bang. "Don't talk to my sister like that you pathetic old man!"

The Warden growled and jumped up, then turned and went to fire at me. A piece of coal shot at the old mans head though, and he stopped his attack turning to Haru who looked at the Warden with determination in his eye.

The Warden let out a cry of rage and shot fire toward Haru, but a huge wall of coal rose in front of the terrified boy and I looked over to see Tyro was the cause.

That was when all hell broke loose.

Fire, Water, Earth, and Air flew back and forth across the deck. There was so much going on that I could barely tell what was happening. Not to mention guards were surrounding me and trying to attack me at full force. The Warden surprisingly was among these guards, so I was too busy fighting off five fire benders instead of being able to help the prisoners.

Haru suddenly hit a few of the guards with large pieces of coal, then stood beside me to help me fight. "Are you alright?" Haru asked, noticing how hard I was breathing.

In truth I was exhausted. With my injuries from yesterday and how hard I was trying to fight, I felt like the only thing keeping me on two feet at the moment was pure adrenaline. "I'm fine," I lied with a shaky breath.

The Warden suddenly shot forward, and his fire headed a straight line toward Haru. Jumping in it's path, I blocked the flames with my hands and then shot the fire back at him.

The Warden fell to the steel floor hard.

Then suddenly coal collected under the Warden and his men, and it lifted them into the air as if the five men weighed nothing.

Looking over, I saw Tyro and a few other men control the coal as the Warden and his men were carried across the deck, then hovered over the water.

"No, please! I can't swim!" The Warden cried.

"Don't worry. I hear cowards float!" Tyro yelled, then the earth benders dropped the men in the water and we were free.

As the men, women, and children cheered with victory, I heard Haru say, "You did it Kaya! You and Katara saved us!"

Smiling weakly at him, I said, "Just wanted to help."

Haru smiled, then frowned as worry filled his eyes. "Kaya…" he began, but his voice began to fade. Suddenly I felt exhausted, and unable to hold myself up I fell to the deck. Then I let the cool steel of the floor sink into my skin as I lost consciousness.

When I awoke some time later, I was surprised to find I was on Appa's saddle, and someone had wrapped me in some blankets. Looking up at the sky I saw it was evening and we were in the air.

Just as I was about to sit up, I felt Sokka push my good shoulder down forcing me to lie back. "It's okay, Kaya… Just rest," Sokka said, then brushed a lock of black hair out of my face. "You're safe now."

Sighing, I closed my eyes once more, letting Sokka's warm touch and Katara's soft hum of an old lullaby lull me back to sleep.


	8. A journey through the past

Appa groaned as we continued to fly over the land below. It had been a few days since we left Haru and his father, and my burns were healing pretty good. Haru had told my siblings where to find a doctor, and after being watched for a day or two in a small earth kingdom village uninhabited by the fire nation, the doctor said I was well enough to travel.

Giving me some ointment for my burns, and telling me to avoid direct sunlight, she wished us good travels and we were on our way. Katara watched me like a hawk everyday, making sure I put on my Aloe cream in the morning and night time, and always asking if I was in any pain.

"How long do you think it will take to get there?" I asked, playing with Aang's marbles which he had kindly lent me.

Katara sat in front of me and immediately jumped into conclusions. "Are you uncomfortable? Do we need to stop?"

Sighing, I smiled reassuringly at her. "No… Just bored."

Sokka, who sat beside me, grabbed the marbles I was continuously tossing in the air. "Hey!" I complained.

He smirked. "You said you were bored. I was just helping."

Glaring at him, I went to slap his head but he grabbed my wrist with a smirk. Yanking away, I crossed my arms with a pout. Then I grinned. "Fine… I'll just sing."

Sokka rolled his eyes as I started my song.

"Flying on a Bison, through the cloudy sky! Headed toward the North Pole, very very high! Adventures and excitement await our beck and call! Flying toward our destinies, look out one and all!" My song was cheesy and completely made up at that single moment, but Aang and Katara were smiling at me.

Sokka shook his head in disbelief. "You're annoying."

Grinning, I said, "I know."

Later that day we all lied back on Appa and stared up at the clouds; except Sokka who was seated upright and whittled a stick with his water tribe knife. The sun was just low enough not to blind us, and the clouds looked so free and at peace. We were flying through them, and I reached my hand out as it touched the wetness we passed.

In my mind I could hear a voice telling me how clouds were made of water, but I wasn't sure had told me. My gut wanted to say it was Iroh's voice, but I couldn't pick it out clearly.

Katara sighed as she rolled on her stomach and looked over Appa's saddle at the clouds we flew by. "Those clouds look so soft, don't they? Like you could just jump down, and you'd land in a big cottony heap."

Sokka muttered under his breath, "Maybe you should give it a try."

Looking at my brother, I kicked him and he looked at me in surprise. Smiling innocently, I lied back and looked at the sky once more.

Aang jumped up from where he laid on Appa's neck and shouted, "I'll try it!" Then he jumped and screamed as he fell through the clouds disappearing below. Katara and Sokka immediately jumped up with worry and looked for him frantically. I stayed down, pretty sure an air bender could find his way back up.

Sure enough Aang was back on Appa's saddle, his clothing dripping water. "Turns out clouds are made of water."

"Maybe you can practice bending the clouds then," I said out loud. Sokka and Katara rolled their eyes at me, while Aang laughed.

"That would be fun to try one day," he said.

Another moment passed, and I was enjoying a cool breeze on my face as we continued to fly. Then suddenly I heard Katara ask, "Hey, what is that?"

Sitting up I looked over the saddle with the other three. There was a valley below us, and at one part of the valley it was black, as if darkness was covering only one part of the trees.

"It's like a scar," Sokka stated, his eyes straining to see what it really was.

Aang landed Appa down in the middle of the dark valley, and I knew what had happened immediately when I saw the trees. Fire Benders had been here, and they had burned everything in their path. The ground was nothing but ash and dirt, and the trees were black and deathly looking.

Sliding off of Appa, I followed my siblings and Aang as they walked across the burnt ground. To think, my own people had done this. Looking at the armored footprints on the ground, I felt tears come to my eyes. Why did the fire nation have to destroy such beautiful things.

"Listen. It's so quite, there's no life anywhere," Sokka said.

Crouching, I brushed some ash off the ground and saw a piece of green grass. At least the forest was trying to repair itself.

"Aang… Are you okay?" Katara asked, and I stood straight looking at Aang. He looked in pain, and I could see his eyes moisten like he was almost about to cry.

"Fire Nation! Those evil savages make me sick! They have no respect for-"

Katara shushed Sokka, then nudged him and pointed over me. Surprisingly his words had hurt me, even though I knew he didn't mean me. Maybe it hurt because no matter what I was related to these savages.

Sokka immediately looked guilty. "Kaya… I didn't mean-"

Smiling weakly I cut him off. "Chill Sokka. I know you didn't mean me. I just can't believe someone would do something like this."

After I spoke this Aang sunk to the ground on his knees, and I watched his pain filled face as he touched the cold dead earth. "Why would anyone do this? How could I let this happen?"

"It's not your fault Aang… You can't blame yourself," I said.

Katara added, "This has nothing to do with you."

Aang looked down in agony. "Yes it does. It's the Avatar's job to protect nature. But, I don't know how to do my job."

"That's why we're going to the North Pole to find you a teacher," Katara said.

Aang sighed. "Yeah… A water bending teacher. But there's no one who can teach me how to be the Avatar. Monk Gyatso said Avatar Roku would help me."

Sokka asked, "The Avatar before you? He died over a hundred years ago, how are we supposed to talk to him?"

"I don't know," Aang whispered.

Aang continued to wallow on the ground, so I left him and my siblings making my way back to Appa. As I walked I looked down at the ground watching as ash shot up around me. How could people be so heartless?

As I continued to walk I suddenly saw something on the ground. It was an acorn. Looking up, I saw the tree above me was dead, but it still had some acorns attached. Immediately I picked up the acorn. If there were acorns everywhere, then the trees would grow back in no time.

It was odd I knew so much about the trees, but I felt as if someone had told me before. Then my birth mothers voice entered my mind.

"_Each acorn is a small tree ready to grow. Just plant one and it will grow over time." _

"_Can I plant one?" I asked, excitedly._

"_Of course sweetie," my mom whispered._

By the time I returned to Aang and my family I'd collected about five acorns. My brother was still fuming over what he saw, and my sister was watching Aang with sympathy. Taking an acorn from my hand, I threw it straight toward Aang where it bounced on his head and fell to the ground.

"Ow! What was that for?" Aang asked, jumping up and looking at me with shock.

Grinning, I picked up another one. "Cheering you up," I simply said.

"How is that cheering him up?" Katara asked.

Sokka laughed. "Cheered me up."

Turning, I threw an acorn at Sokka who looked up last minute and got hit in the forehead. "Ow!" he cried. Then he winced. "Yeah. I probably deserved that."

Katara walked over to me then, asking, "Seriously Kaya… Why are you throwing acorns at everyone?"

Sighing, I said, "So I could get your attention." Then I picked up another acorn to show her and Aang who was watching with question. "These acorns are actually seeds. They'll one day become a tree and replace the burned forest with a new one."

"How do you know that?" Aang asked with surprise.

Frowning slightly, I whispered, "My mom told me."

"You mean your birth mom?" Katara asked.

Nodding, I knelt on the ground and dug up the ash then the cool earth. Planting the acorn in the ground, I shoved dirt over it then stood. "Now the next time it rains it will begin to grow." Looking at Aang, I smiled. "The forest will return to how it was before."

Aang smiled back at me. "Thanks Kaya… I needed that."

An acorn suddenly smacked into my forehead and I winced glaring at my brother. He innocently turned and walked away.

Aang started planting acorns then while Sokka and Katara watched him. As this occurred I noticed someone walking toward us. It was an old man who appeared to be from the Earth Kingdom. His face looked full of relief when he saw Aang.

"Uh… Hello," I said as the man approached. My family and Aang looked over to see the old man. The man nodded at me, then looked at Aang.

"When I saw the flying bison I thought it was impossible, but those markings… Are you the Avatar?"

Aang nodded while I eyed the man suspiciously. He had come out of no where it seemed.

The man bowed his head, and I saw then how broken up he was. He looked like he had gone through a great ordeal. "My village desperately needs your help," the man begged, then looked into Aang's eyes pleadingly.

Aang looked at Katara and Sokka, who both nodded saying it couldn't hurt to help. When Aang asked me, I said, "It's up to you. I'm just along for the ride."

Aang nodded and a few hours later we landed Appa in a small village in the middle of an unburned section of the forest. Walking through the quiet village known as Senlin which may have had twenty people or so in it, we came upon the village leader who stared at us curiously.

The man was probably in his early fifties, with graying brown hair in a top knot. The old man with us stepped forward saying, "This young person is the Avatar."

The Village leader looked at Aang with interest. "So the rumors of your return are true." He bowed to Aang with respect. "It is the greatest honor of a lifetime to be in your presence."

"Nice to meet you too… So is there something I can help you with?" Aang asked unsure.

The chief looked distraught as he said, "I'm not sure…"

The old man then began to explain about a spirit known as Hei Bei, but by that point I had zoned out. Instead of listening I stared at a building where the roof had been torn straight off. Must have been _some_ spirit to cause such a disaster.

Aang and Katara suddenly walked off to talk, while Sokka and I looked at the destruction with terror. "That's a lot of damage," Sokka said.

"Yeah… It's definitely an angry spirit. Do you think it has something to do with the burned down forest?" I asked.

Sokka shrugged and walked over to Katara and Aang, while I stood there watching him with disbelief. He didn't even answer my question! Sighing, I was about to turn but the chief stood in front of me suddenly.

The chief eyed me curiously, then said, "You're that girl aren't you? The fire nation girl that's on our side?"

Nodding, I said, "Guess my eyes give me away."

The chief smiled kindly at me, then said, "I overheard what you said to the water tribe boy. I was wondering the same thing about the burned forest. I'm not an expert on this spirit stuff, but it did show up after the fire nation set fire to the land."

Aang suddenly approached us again. "I'll do it. Anything to help." he said.

The chief looked utterly relieved.

Later that night we stayed inside the meeting house building where we waited anxiously for the sun to set. Aang walked outside and we watched anxiously as he went.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked. "He's just a kid."

Katara looked more anxious than the rest. "I know… But he seems confident so I don't want to tell him he can't. If it gets too much we'll jump in."

Aang suddenly began to shot through the darkening village, "Hello. Spirit can you hear me? This is the Avatar speaking! I'm here to try to help stuff!"

Sighing, I inched away from the villagers who were peering out the windows of the building. No one seemed to notice as I turned and walked out of the building. Aang was just a kid. Twelve! Walking near the edges of the buildings, I watched as Aang got closer to the gate of the city. It was quiet… Too quiet.

"The sun has set!" Aang called nervously. "Where are you Hei-Bei? Well spirit… I hereby ask you to leave this village in peace."

Stepping closer, I saw Aang was shaking like a leaf. Beads of sweat trailed down his forehead and his eyes darted around drastically.

"Well, I guess that's settled then," Aang said, then turned to walk back to the building.

To my utter terror, a large black and white creature emerged from the woods, his feet huge as he followed behind Aang. Hei-Bei glowed in the night, and he looked around the village with fire in his black orbs. Then I saw him open his mouth slightly and my eyes widened. He had really sharp teeth.

"Aang!" I hissed.

He jumped and looked over at me as I hid in the shadows. "Kaya? What are you doing out here?"

"Behind you," I said, then pointed at the giant ghost like creature. Aang turned immediately and stared at the beast with wide eyes.

Then he faked a smile saying, "You must be the Hei Bei spirit. My name is…"

The spirit didn't let him finish. Instead he opened his giant mouth and shot a strange light stream at Aang making a huge gust of wind. Then he got up on two feet and roared with fury. As he did this another light stream shot through his mouth into the sky. Then he turned and ran past Aang toward a building.

"My name is Aang! I'm the Avatar and I would like to help!" Aang shouted, then noticed the beast was about to grab the room of a building. "Hey! Wait up!"

Aang followed the beast as it grabbed pieces of buildings tearing them up and causing extreme damage. Then Aang jumped in between the monster and a building it was about to destroy, and he cried, "Please! Would you stop destroying things and listen!"

The beast turned away from him and grabbed another building. "I'm just trying to do my job as a spirit bridge! Please turn around! I command you to turn around!" Aang was getting more angry than scared, and that concerned me. If he wasn't careful he'd just make the spirit more violent.

The spirit then turned and smacked Aang with his large white hand, causing the young air bender to fly and smash into a building. "Aang!" I cried, and ran forward coming into view. The spirit watched me run over to Aang, but I ignored it as I helped my friend off the ground.

"Kaya, you shouldn't be out here! It's not safe!" Aang cried.

"It's not safe for you either!" I responded, then looked around for his glider. It was lying about ten feet away. "I'll distract it while you get your glider."

Aang grabbed my arm before I could run. "No Kaya! Please get to safety!"

Turning to Aang, I said, "You're not doing this on your own Aang. Friends don't ditch each other in times of danger!"

Aang looked at me for a moment with a look I couldn't read, then said with a smile, "Thanks."

Nodding, I turned and ran out into view, then screamed, "Hey! Spirit dude! Over here!" The spirit turned then, and I saw him look into my gold eyes with realization. He could tell I was a fire bender. Then he put down the piece of the building he was previously holding, and rushed toward me.

Aang ran out as the spirit was distracted and grabbed his glider. As he did this I ran underneath the spirit praying he wasn't too bright. The spirit was startled as I disappeared beneath him, and as I got to the other side of his body he turned quickly.

Sokka was suddenly running toward me, his boomerang in hand, while Aang blew a burst of wind at the spirit trying to blow it back. The spirit didn't falter, and before I could get away I felt it's strong glowing hand grab my body.

Gasping, I felt it lift me from the earth and hold me so I was only inches from his extremely sharp teeth. Then a second later I heard Sokka scream as well as he was lifted beside me.

"Sokka! Kaya!" Katara cried, and I looked down to see she stood beside Aang with horror filled eyes.

Then suddenly the beast turned, and using his other four legs he ran out of the village toward the forest. Sokka and I screamed in terror as wind rushed past us and the beasts hands began to tighten. Then I saw nothing but a bright white light. It blinded me and I closed my eyes as pain shot through my head.

As darkness took me over for a moment, I heard Roku's voice enter my mind once more. _"It's time to remember," _his voice echoed through my brain.

Gasping, I opened my eyes and everything around me became clear.

I was no longer being carried by the beast, and I could tell I was no longer in a forest. Looking around, I saw I was seated on a fine bed, the blanket underneath me made out of silk and the color of amber. The air around me was warm, and the room I was in was lit by torches on the walls. Tapestries with the symbol of the fire nation hung on each wall, and I saw a portrait of the Fire Lord, Lady Ursa, a frowning girl who I guessed was Azula, my brother Zuko whose face was scar free, and then me.

Footsteps suddenly echoed through the room, and I saw my birth mother walk into the room. She looked just like I did in my present form, except her skin was paler than my own. "There you are sweetie. Grandfather Azulon is looking for you," she said, walking over to me.

It was then I realized that I was seeing what I had seen nine years ago. What I was seeing was through the eyes of my six year old form. My memories were actually being played out before my very eyes.

"Sorry mommy… I just don't like Grandfather. He scares me," I whispered, my voice sounding so young and fragile. It almost sounded like I was too scared to speak.

My mom smiled kindly at me, then said, "He doesn't mean to. He's just a very busy man, so he doesn't have a lot of time to be with his family."

Looking down at my tiny hands, I fiddled with my fingers nervously. "What if he yells at me again? Last time he almost hit me." Tears pulled at my eyes as a memory of a scary old man with a raised hand came to me. Just by seeing the man in my young mind I could see why I was terrified of him.

"I won't let him, Amber. Neither will your father," she said. Then she held out her hand and I took it slowly. My hand was so small in hers. Our skin however was the same. Both of us were pale. Maybe I was tan in present time because I'd lived under the sun most of my days at the south pole.

We both walked out of the large room I assumed was my own, then made our way down a dimly lit hallway that had fire nation soldiers lined against parts of the wall. They bowed to us as we passed, and my mother nodded in acknowledgement. As we approached a large steel door with flame symbols carved in their enormous frame, two guards opened the doors and gestured us inside.

Walking into a huge spacious room, I saw a huge wall of fire with a throne perched behind it. On the throne sat a very old man with gray hair he kept in a topknot and a gray beard. He looked through the fire at me with cold eyes, and I shrunk from his gaze.

"Princess Ursa… You've kept me waiting," my grandfather hissed through the flames, and I cowered in fear behind my mothers dress. My mother got on her knees then and bowed, and I quickly did the same though my small body shook with terror.

"Forgive me my Lord… It won't happen again," mom promised, then rose so that she was on her knees but looking at Azulon. Following her lead, I stared at my grandfather and watched as he smirked.

Slowly he stood and walked toward the edge of his flame wall. Then he used fire bending to part the flames so he could create a small entrance. He gestured with his bony wrinkly finger for me to approach. "Come here child," he said, his voice hard and cold.

Looking at my mother, she nodded with a reassuring smile, and slowly I stood. My body trembled as I walked up to my grandfather, and he watched me with annoyance. When I got to the bottom of the steps that led to his throne platform he put his hand up to stop me.

"Now… Would you please fire bend for me. Your brother and sister were successful earlier, so I expect the same result from you."

Immediately I gulped, and then looked down at my hands seeing them shake. "I- I can't," I whispered.

My grandfather glared at me, then said, "I'm growing impatient with you child! Every week I bring you in here and you still claim you can't! Everyone in my family could fire bend at the age of five! You are six now! Fire bend!"

Tears filled my eyes and I whimpered. "I- I don't know how."

He shot a flame at my feet in rage and I cried out in terror backing up and falling on the ground. "You're pathetic! You're a disgrace to this family! Get out of my sight!" He shot another flame then, and I backed away before it could hit me. Then sobbing, I turned and ran out of the room, my mother following closely behind.

As I ran down the halls I ran straight to my room and dived onto my bed, then I sobbed my heart out. My mother came in only a few moments later, then got in bed beside me and pulled me into her arms. Crying into her dress, I yelled, "Don't make me do it again! I don't want to see him again!"

My mother apologized over and over, and I continued to cry.

Then I found myself carried from that memory to another. In this memory I was seated in the Palace Garden beside the small duck pond. Plucking a piece of bread from the loaf a kind servant had given me, I tossed the bread into the pond and a baby turtle duck grabbed it before his siblings.

A body suddenly sat beside me, and I turned in surprise to see Zuko. He smiled over at me and then held his hand out for a piece of bread. Smiling, I tore a piece off and handed it to him. We both then continued to feed the mother and her three children.

"Hey… I heard what happened with grandpa," Zuko suddenly said, tossing another piece into the water. "Why didn't you just fire bend?"

My hands froze as I was about to throw my last piece, then I sighed and put my bread down. Pulling my knees close to my chest, I said, "Because I don't like fire bending. Whenever I try it I always catch something on fire."

"But that's the point!" Zuko cried, looking at me with amazement.

"No it isn't," I said. "The last Avatar never hurt anyone with his fire bending."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Dad say's that Avatar Roku was a nut job, Amber."

Shaking my head, I looked down at my pale reflection in the pond. "I don't think he was. He helped people." Then looking at Zuko I said, "One day I want to help people too."

"This is war Amber. We have to fight, not help people. Dad said that kindness will only kill you."

Grabbing my bread, I tossed the rest of it in the pound where the turtle ducks tore into it. "All you do is talk about daddy… he's no better than grandpa."

Zuko gasped. "Don't say that! You'll get in trouble."

"Well it's true," I cried.

Footsteps suddenly approached, and I turned in terror. To my relief it was just my cousin Lu Ten. He was twenty one, and in a week he'd be going off to war for a few years. Grinning, I stood and ran up to my cousin who fell on his knees so I could hug him easier. As he pulled me into his arms I smelled Jasmine Tea.

"Hey squirt," he said, then pulled away smiling at me. "What are you guys up to?"

Zuko joined us a moment later, saying, "We were feeding the turtle ducks."

Lu Ten looked over at the pond, then back at me with a smile. "Those turtle ducks are going to get fat from being overfed by you."

I gasped and cried, "No they aren't." He ruffled my hair then, and I slapped his hand away with a giggle.

Zuko then tried to get Lu Ten's attention saying, "Hey! Watch this knew fire bending move I learned."

We both looked over at Zuko who got in a fire bending stance then shot a small flame with his bare foot. It traveled in the air for a second and then vanished. Lu Ten clapped while I said, "That was awesome Zuko!"

"You've improved a lot," Lu Ten said in agreement.

"Your highness!" a voice shouted across the field.

Our cousin groaned and looked at the owner. It was his personal advisor, and the old beefy man didn't look happy. "Well there goes my moment of freedom," Lu Ten muttered, then looked back at us with a smile. "You guys behave now, okay."

"Okay!" We said in unison, then we watched Lu Ten walk away.

Again my memories took me to another time. This time I was seated on my bed, but there was someone in the room other than my mom or Zuko. This time it was my father. Ozai paced the room back and forth, his fists steaming with fire. He looked mad, and I felt myself cower in fear.

After a second he turned and looked at me with heartless gold eyes. "Do you know how embarrassed I've been! Everyone in the palace laughs at me because my child can't fire bend! You're making a mockery of me in my own kingdom!"

Whimpering, I grabbed my hair and cried, "I'm sorry daddy… I'm sorry."

My father stepped over to me and grabbed my chin forcing me to look into his cruel glare. "You are on a thin rope, Amber. A very thin rope. Your grandfather is threatening to punish you in front of the whole kingdom. Do you know what that would mean?"

Shaking my head, I felt hot tears stream down my cheeks.

"It means he'll probably take you to the middle of the city and beat you to a pulp! Do you want that?" my dad roared.

Shaking my head hard, I cried, "No!"

Dad let me go and then began to pace again. "I'm so tired of being looked down upon because of you. My father thinks I can't control my own child."

"I'm sorry daddy," I whimpered. "I'll be good now."

A slap suddenly rang in my ear, and I cried out as I clutched my pulsing cheek. "You want to be good?! Then fire bend! Stop being a coward!"

"Ozai!" Iroh's voice suddenly shouted, and my father and I both looked up to see my uncle standing at the doorway with hard eyes. "I think you need to leave."

My dad glared with hatred at Uncle Iroh, then looked at me with a piercing glance. "We're not done here," he hissed, then turned and stormed out of the room. As he passed uncle he said with gritted teeth, "Mind your own business."

Iroh glared back at his brother. "My niece is my business."

My dad then turned, and stomped away, leaving Iroh with me as I sobbed and clutched my cheek. Iroh approached me as I continued to cry, then sat down beside me causing the bed mattress to sink. Hugging me close to him, he said, "Are you okay dear?"

Shaking my head, I said, "No… He hates me uncle. Daddy hates me."

Iroh sighed and hugged me tighter. "No he doesn't. He's just confused."

"He hates me," I cried again. Then everything around me faded.

When I could see again I was seated in the palace gardens once more on a stone bench, and my mom sat beside me handing me something. Looking at the golden bracelet in my hand, I said, "It's pretty."

"It was my grandfathers. He personally made it for his wife, who passed it down to my mother, who then passed it down to me. Now it belongs to you," she said, then took the band and placed it around my wrist. It was a little big but mom told me it would fit me when I got older.

Looking at the bracelet, I asked, "Why not Azula?"

My mom smiled weakly. "Roku told me you were the one."

Looking at my mom in surprise I asked, "He spoke to you?"

She nodded and touched the bracelet. "When you put this on it will connect Roku to your spirit so that he can guide you."

"That sounds painful," I muttered.

My mom smiled, then brushed a hand through my hair. "Roku won't hurt you. He wants to help you," she whispered in my ear, then she kissed me on the head.

My memories then took me to my room once more, only this time I was alone. Brushing my long black hair with a silver comb I hummed softly. Then I looked down at my wrist and watched as the gold bracelet glowed from the rooms candle light. Putting my comb down, I traced my finger over the engraved symbols.

"Well well," a cold voice hissed. Turning in surprise I saw the man I knew as Captain Zhao step over to me. He was carrying what appeared to be a sack and some rope. His baboon face looked like an animal in the candle light, and I cowered in fear. "There's the little freak."

Reaching toward me, he grabbed my arm hard and shoved me against my bedroom wall. Crying out in pain, I watched in terror as he reached toward my mouth to block my screams. "Your father told me to get rid of you. I'm afraid I can't refuse his orders," he hissed as I screamed through his hard hand. He grabbed my wrists as I went to hit him, and then tied rope around them. My bracelet slipped off my hands and fell to the ground.

Since I couldn't hit him anymore I tried to kick him instead. He grabbed me by the hair before I could, then threw me on the ground. Since I couldn't catch myself with my hands my whole body hit the hard floor and my head smacked against the stone. Then I blacked out.

"Kaya! Kaya!" A voice suddenly shouted, and I opened my eyes in shock. To my surprise I was on the dirt, and it was dark outside. A cold breeze licked at my skin, and I felt someone shake my good shoulder hard.

Groaning, I pulled myself up from where I had fallen on the ground, then looked around. The villagers surrounded me, staring at me with amazement. Katara kneeled beside me, and I saw her watching with worry.

I was back in the present!

"Kaya… Are you okay?" Katara asked, and it was then I noticed Sokka was kneeling beside me also. Aang stood a few paces away looking relieved.

"Wh-what happened? Last thing I remember is Sokka and I were being carried toward the forest," I said, clutching my head as it pulsed in pain.

"You've been in the spirit world for twenty-four hours," Katara answered.

My brows furrowed in confusion. "Really? Felt more like my past."

"What do you mean?" Aang asked.

Looking at him I was about to answer, but stopped when I felt everyone in village staring at me. "Uh… Nothing," I answered, then stood and brushed dirt from my clothing.

Katara suddenly grabbed me in a hug and I smiled weakly. "I was so worried. When the spirit took you away I feared I'd never see you again," Katara cried, and it was then I noticed her eyes were filled with tears.

Sighing, I hugged her back. "I'm back Katara… I'm sorry if I scared you."

Katara held me closer and a second later Sokka grabbed us both in a hug. As my siblings held me I thought of my other family. How would Katara and Sokka react when I told them I was really the fire lords daughter? Would they hate me? Would they force me to leave?

Sokka and Katara noticed my body had gone stiff, and they looked at me with question. Looking away from their gazes, I whispered, "Can I talk to you three… Alone." The villagers still had their eyes on us, watching as if we were performing a play.

Without waiting for their reactions, I turned and made my way to the very edge of the village, right where the forest began. The villagers luckily didn't follow, so that left me, my siblings, and Aang to converse in peace.

"What's this about?" Katara asked.

"Yeah… You're starting to scare me," Sokka said.

Aang looked deep into my eyes, as if he were trying to read my mind.

Taking in a deep breath, I told them everything. Told them how I truly was Amber, daughter of fire lord Ozai. I told them about how close I once was to Zuko, and how my mother was the one who gave me the bracelet. I then told them about my grandfather, and how he despised me because I wouldn't fire bend. Then I told them about my father, and how he hated my guts. As I told them I watched their reactions, and through it all I never saw any sign of hatred, or disgust.

When I finally finished with Zhao kidnapping me, Katara had her hand over her mouth in terror. "Your own father wanted you gone," Katara said, her eyes filling with tears of sorrow. Sorrow for my past. "What kind of father does that to his own child?"

Sokka was looking at the ground with fists clenched. He looked ready to hit something. "The Fire Lord," he spat, answering Katara's question. "When I get my hands on him I'll kill him. I'll kill that monster."

"You- you guys aren't mad about this? This means that I really am the daughter of the enemy," I said, my throat tightening as my own words sunk in. I was the daughter of a monster. A cold hearted monster.

Aang suddenly placed a hand on my shaking shoulder, and I looked at him in surprise.

"It doesn't matter… That's in the past. Right now you're Kaya, friend to the Avatar and sister to the two greatest water tribe kids on the planet," Aang said with a grin, and I looked into his brown orbs feeling as if a huge weight was suddenly lifted off my shoulder. "You're one of the best people I know."

After I took in Aang's words, and looked at my brother and sister who were nodding in agreement, I felt my pained heart fill with relief.

They didn't care. They really didn't care.

At that moment I knew… This was where I belonged. Katara, Sokka, and Aang were my family, and nothing could tear us apart. Nothing.


	9. Hey Bro

"_You're worthless! Your father can't stand the sight of you!" Zhao spat in my face as my six year old self curled up tighter to the cell wall._

"_No! You're wrong!" I cried._

_Zhao laughed. "He told me to kill you. How wrong can I be?"_

"_You're lying!"_

_Zhao sneered at me and grabbed my hair making me scream as he yanked it. "You better enjoy your last days of life, because when we get to the south pole I'm dumping you off it's coast. That cold water will kill you in seconds."_

"_No!" I cried, scratching at his hand as he pulled my hair harder. _

_Zhao tightened his fist suddenly and a flame lit. "I can't wait to see you dead." Then he thrust his hand forward._

Waking, I gasped and sat up feeling my heart rapidly beat. Moving my shirt up, I looked at my waist at the red scar that was still there from Zhao's wrath. Rubbing my hand over it, I sighed. By the time we defeated my father I'd probably have scars from head to toe.

Deciding that I didn't want another bad dream I carefully got off the cot and walked outside the small room the villagers had lent us. Sokka and Aang were sleeping on the floor and Katara was sleeping on one of the two cots.

Walking outside I made my way across the moonlit dirt road toward Appa. He was sleeping at the edge of the village with Momo beside him. As I walked I crossed my arms to try and warm up. Though I'd grown up on the south pole most of my life I still couldn't grow use to the cold.

Lighting a flame in my hand, I looked around to make sure no one was watching, and then I tried a few basic moves. Thrusting my hands forward I shot a blast of fire into a long stream and it traveled a good twenty feet before it disappeared. Then I thrust my barefoot forward and shot a blast from it.

I continued fire bending for sometime. It was only when I heard a voice that I stopped. Breathing in I tried to catch my breath, then I walked back to where Appa was and stopped a few feet away. Aang was pulling at Appa's reins trying to get him to move. Appa just sat and ignored him.

"Come on boy! We have to go before everyone wakes up," Aang said, his eyes looking around wildly. Appa groaned as if to say no. "Please... I can't risk anyone getting hurt over me. I have to go alone."

Walking over to Appa, I snuck around his large body then climbed up his fur. Aang continued to yank on his reins so he didn't see me as I climbed over the saddle. "Come on Appa! We need to go now!"

Crawling over to one of the sacks on Appa's saddle, I rummaged inside Sokka's and took out a moon peach. Then sitting back I chewed on it letting the sweet juice slide down my throat.

"Look, I'm sorry, but Katara, Sokka, and Kaya aren't coming to the fire nation with us. If they got hurt I wouldn't be able to forgive myself... So get your big butt off the ground and let's go!"

"I think his big butt is trying to tell you something," Sokka's voice sounded from below.

Katara then begged, "Please don't go Aang. The world can't afford to lose you to the fire nation. Neither can I."

"But I have to talk to Avatar Roku to gind out what my vision means," Aang began. "I need to get to the Fire Temple before the sun sets on the solstice. That's today!"

Suddenly Aang jumped on top of Appa, then screamed when he saw me. "Kaya! You scared me!" Aang cried. Smirking at him, I took another bite of my moon peach. He then said, "You're definitely not coming!"

Rolling my eyes, I said, "And why's that?"

"Because you'll probably get kidnapped, or imprisoned, or attacked! You're prone to danger!" Aang cried.

"Fine... Then leave me here and take them," I said, pointing to my siblings.

Aang's mouth fell open, but then he sighed. Looking down at Sokka and Katara, he said, "Fine... You guys can come." Then he looked at me. "You're staying!"

Shrugging, I stood and walked to Appa's tail. "If it will change your mind about going alone, then fine. Just make sure you take care of my family," I said, then slid down Appa's tail.

Sokka and Katara seemed slightly anxious about leaving me behind but I gave them a reassuring smile. "Are you sure you'll be okay?" Katara asked, her blue eyes almost filling with tears.

Walking up to her I wrapped my arms around her. "Just bring me back a souvenir," I joked.

She laughed. "Sure. Maybe I can bring you a bowl of Lava."

Sokka, who was beside us, furrowed his brows in confusion. "Wouldn't the lava melt the bowl?"

Aang, Katara, and I broke into laughter. Sokka still looked confused.

The villagers, who I just noticed were gathered a few feet away, stepped aside to let their chief through. "It's a long journey to crescent island," he began, then tossed up a parcel to Aang. "You'll have to fly west to have any chance to make it before sundown. Good luck."

Aang smiled. "Thank you for your-"

"Go!" The chief urgently said.

After Katara and Sokka gave me one last hug, and I told them to be safe, they climbed onto Appa and they took off. As I watched them fly away, I felt terribly worried. Would they be safe?

_They have Aang, _Roku's voice suddenly said in my head making me slightly jump. _The Avatar will protect them._

Looking down at the bracelet on my hand, I touched it's gold band and felt warmth. Smiling, I looked back at Appa's form as he flew farther and farther away. "Yeah... He will," I whispered.

A kind hand touched my shoulder then, and I saw the chief who gestured for me to go back inside and get some rest.

"I think I'll just stay out here for a little bit," I said. "Thanks." The villagers all went back to their homes to get some more sleep, but the chief stayed for a moment.

"They'll be back," he promised.

"I know," I whispered.

He patted me on the shoulder reassuringly, then walked back inside his home. That left me alone. Walking back to the edge of the forest, I began to practice more fire bending deciding it would calm my nerves. After an hour or so, I was just about to head back when I heard something. It was the crunch of a leaf, and it made me turn in surprise.

To my terror, I saw about twenty fire nation soldiers emerge from the woods, and among them stood my blood relative Zuko. When I saw him, and he laid his golden eyes on me, I immediately pictured my seven year old brother from nine years ago.

"_Come on Amber! Let's go feed the turtle ducks," Zuko exclaimed grabbing my small hand in his own._

_Laughing, I let him pull me through the palace toward the garden._

"Zuko," I whispered, as I watched him and his soldiers continue to approach. Then immediately I narrowed my eyes. He was here for Aang probably, so I couldn't let my guard down.

Zuko's eyes were guarded, and without saying anything he came straight toward me. Unsure what to do, I decided the best option was to back away. "What are you doing here?" I asked, backing some more as he continued to advance.

He was about ten feet away when suddenly I hit the wall of the gate surrounding the earth kingdom village. He stopped when he saw I couldn't move anymore and smirked. "Isn't it obvious... I'm hunting down the Avatar."

Looking at Zuko's men, I saw a few of them were holding their spears as if they were ready to attack. Then I looked at Zuko and saw his fist clenched. Did they honestly think I would try to fight them?

Giving Zuko my own smirk, I said, "Sorry to break your heart, but he's not here."

He narrowed his golden orbs at me, then turned to his soldiers. "Question the villagers and report back to me if you find anything!" he ordered, and his men obeyed.

After a moment the only people outside the village gates were Zuko and I. My brother turned back to me then and crossed his arms.

"Look... I'm telling the truth. Aang and my family are long gone, so you might as well go back to your boat and come back another day," I stated firmly, trying to hint to him he wasn't welcome.

He stepped closer to me then, but I stood my ground. He wasn't getting anything out of me. "That's a lie. They wouldn't just leave you behind," he hissed, his fists tightening slightly.

Leaning back against the wall, I crossed my arms nonchalantly. Zuko wouldn't hurt me. "They didn't want me getting into any trouble. Especially where they're going," I said.

"And where are they going?" Zuko asked, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward him.

Trying to pull from his grasp, I hissed, "Like I'd tell you."

Zuko stared deep into my eyes, and I could tell he was searching for something. Then he pulled from my wrist and I rubbed it's sore area with a glare. "I don't know why I'm wasting time with you anyway. You've been brain washed by the Avatar and his friends. My little sister doesn't seem to exist anymore," he muttered. Then he turned away so I couldn't see his face.

Feeling somewhat guilty, and wanting to show Zuko he was wrong, I said, "Your little sister has feelings. You should know that I'm with my friends only because I want to be. It has nothing to do with being brainwashed."

He turned to look at me with surprise, then I saw his eyes fill with hope. "Amber?"

Smiling weakly, I said, "Guess I'll let you call me that. It's gonna take some getting use to though."

To my shock, I felt Zuko grab me into a hug and pull me close to him. As he hugged me I felt comfort, warmth, and a sense of protection. "You remember?" he asked, pulling away.

"A lot of it's still fuzzy, but I remember a lot. I remember you mostly, but I also remember mom, Uncle Iroh, cousin Lu Ten, the little monster Azula, and a few other things. I remember how terrified I was of grandpa, and how much dad hated me. I bet he still hates me," I said.

Zuko ignored the last part, asking, "Do you remember who kidnapped you?"

Looking down at the ground, I opened my mouth ready to answer, but a soldier ran over cutting me off. "Sir... The villagers were questioned and we know where he's headed."

Zuko turned to his soldier, completely forgetting everything we'd just been talking about. He really needed to get a hobby instead of hunting down Aang. "Where is he?" Zuko eagerly asked.

The soldier went to answer, but I ran forward with fire in my hand. "No!" I cried, shooting fire at the man and sending him flying back. The soldier hit the ground hard, but it only stunned him instead of knocked him out. Zuko grabbed me then, and I felt him pull my hands behind my back.

"What the agni are you doing?! You can't just attack my men!" Zuko hissed in my ear, then shoved me on the ground. Dirt brushed across my lips, and I kept my mouth shut so I didn't get any in my mouth. "You say you're not brainwashed, but what do you call that just now?"

"Protecting my family," I hissed, then coughed and spat as I got some dirt in my mouth. Zuko yanked me back up from the ground, and then turned me shoving me against the wall. My back stung as he pressed me up against it.

It was when I looked up a his face once more that I saw something flash through his eyes. Hurt... Betrayal... Jealousy...

"I'm sorry Amber... But it's the only way I can set things right," Zuko said. At first I thought he was talking about capturing Aang, but it turned out he meant capturing me too.

Without a second to waste, Zuko had the same soldier who I attacked before, grab me by the arms and restrain me. As I kicked and screamed, I saw Zuko pull some rope from the armor he was wearing. Then he stepped forward and grabbed my hands. Tying them behind my back, he hissed in my ear, "Stop fighting... This is for the best."

How could this be for the best?

He then suddenly grabbed me by the waist and threw me over his shoulder like a sack. "Hey! Put me down Zuko!" I ordered as I struggled only to wince when his hard armor stabbed into my stomach. Zuko ignored me and began to walk away from the village toward the forest.

"Zuko! Put me down! You can't do this!" I cried, trying to kick him only to have a soldier tie my feet together as well. After a while of struggling in my binds, I decided escape wasn't an option, and let Zuko lug me back to his ship. After a good hour of walking through the forest, we made it back to the coast line where a few dinghy's were tied to shore. Zuko's soldiers quickly got in their dinghy's and began to head toward the massive vessel floating a good distance from shore.

After Zuko managed to sit me in the dinghy, a few of his soldiers helped row us back to the giant vessel I thought I'd never have to step foot on again.

"Look... Let's talk about this," I said, trying to twist my hands to escape the rope around my wrists. "Let's say you do capture Aang and my family. Then what? Are you going to hand them all off to our father? And what about me? Dad hates my guts, so he'll most likely kill me when he finds out I'm alive."

Zuko sighed. "He won't kill you. He'll be happy to know you're alive."

Groaning, I said, "He's the one who wanted me gone nine years ago!"

The four soldiers who were rowing started to get uncomfortable. Zuko kept calm and said, "Dad's cruel, Amber, but he's not that cruel."

"Did you ever ask him?" I questioned, trying to light an inconspicuous flame to burn my binds. "Did you ever once go up to dad and ask, 'Hey... Do you know what really happened to my sister?' Well, did you?"

Zuko just stared at me.

"I didn't think so... Because no one suspects that a girls own father would sign her death wish," I muttered bringing my hands forward and rubbing my raw wrists. Zuko didn't seem to notice I had escaped the rope that was now nothing but ash. He was too deep in thought.

"You asked me earlier if I remember who kidnapped me... Do you really want to know?"

Zuko stayed silent, and I could see he was debating if he wanted to hear it or not. Deciding he probably should I went on.

"Our father ordered Zhao to kidnap me. He hated me because I was a failure in his eyes. All because I refused to fire bend for grandpa. He tried to kill me," I hissed.

Zuko tried to stay calm, but I could see his eyes fill with pain. The rest of the ride we were silent, and Zuko was too deep in his own thoughts to care that I completely untied myself. When we got to the large fire nation vessel, the soldiers forced me up first and I complied not really having a choice.

As soon as I got on deck I looked around to see the same soldiers from before and a few more. My uncle stood a few yards away, his eyes wide when he saw me get on the ship. Yanking from a soldier that had reached for my shoulder, I walked over to Iroh with a weak smile.

"Hey," I said, as I heard Zuko's footsteps approach from behind. Iroh looked at me for a moment, then looked at Zuko with hard eyes.

"I thought we agreed we'd let her choose," Iroh said, his eyes penetrating into Zuko's.

Zuko ignored his scolding, and walked past us to go to the helm, probably to tell the captain the new heading.

"Did I miss something?" Iroh asked.

Shrugging, I said, "It's not my fault he can't handle the truth."

"And that would be...?" Iroh asked.

Smiling weakly, I told him everything. About grandpa, dad, and Zhao. Iroh listened intently, his eyes not showing any hint of surprise. He must have suspected it all along. He knew it was his brother that signed my death wish.

After I told him everything he led me to his quarters where he had one of the crew men set up some breakfast for us. Sitting at the large wooden table, I sat across from Iroh as he prepared me some tea. Then a few minutes later some men carried in some trays of fruit, steamed sausage, and a few other fire nation foods I remembered only a little from my childhood.

At first we ate our breakfast in silence, and I sighed as the warm meat slid down my throat. It was the best meal I'd had in weeks.

"So," Iroh began, taking a sip of his tea. "I guess now that you remember who you are I can call you Amber."

Pushing my empty plate aside, I said, "If you want to then go ahead. As of right now I'm accepting both my names."

"Is that because of your water tribe family?"

Shaking my head, I answered, "Not really. It's mostly because I still don't know if I want to be Amber."

Iroh took in my words, then nodded in understanding. "I can see why that is. I would feel the same way if my father tried to kill me."

Sighing, I placed my cup on the table and stood. "Thank you for breakfast. But now I realy need to find a way off this ship to get back to my family."

Hurt flashed through Iroh's eyes for a moment, and I immediately felt guilty knowing what I'd just said had hurt his feelings. "I didn't mean you guys aren't my family. You guys really are. It's just... Aang and the others... They'll worry about me if I stay here, and I-"

Iroh cut off my rant, with a small smile. "It's alright, Amber. I understand, and I think you should go with them instead of us. You're always welcome to come back to Zuko and I, but after everything you've gone through I don't blame you for wanting to leave. This ship probably makes you uncomfortable."

Now that he mentioned it, this place sort of gave me the creeps.

"I do have one request though before you go," Iroh said, standing and walking around the table to stand in front of me. Looking into his eyes I saw he was about to plead. "Please tell Zuko this time. When he saw your letter last time you left it broke his heart into two. I can't see my nephew like that again."

My breathing hitched and my blood went cold. If I told Zuko I was planning on leaving, would he try to stop me?

"Okay," I whispered after a moment of thought, and Iroh sighed with relief.

After making my promise to tell Zuko, I had no choice but to follow uncle to the control room, where Zuko was standing beside the captain with clenched fists. "What if we don't make it in time?" he asked the captain.

The forty year old man looked at Zuko slightly annoyed. "We will sir... This ship can catch up to anything."

Zuko walked over to the window with fire in his eyes. "It better, or I'll find myself a new captain."

Walking forward, I said, "That's rude."

Zuko turned in surprise, then he frowned when he saw me. "Oh... It's you," he said, then began to walk past me to leave.

What got into him?

Grabbing his arm as he walked by, I said, "Can we talk?"

Zuko stood for a moment, staring at the ground with pain in his eyes. "If it's about father I don't want to hear it."

Oh! So that's why he was so moody. He couldn't handle the fact that his own father, whom he respected so much, would want his sweet little girl dead. At once I felt my hands heat up as my anger flared. He was so tightly wrapped around dads finger, wanting nothing more than earn his respect.

"Ow!" Zuko shouted, shoving my hand from his arm as I burned him. "What was that for?"

"Sorry," I muttered, not meaning it.

Iroh suddenly intervened, saying, "Alright you two... We're all just cranky from being up so early this morning. Let's take this to the meeting room, Zuko."

Zuko looked at Uncle annoyed, then turned back to me. "Fine. I'll hear what you want to say."

We all went to the meeting room below the helm, and when we entered I saw a large table with a map in the middle. Walking over to the map, I looked down at it curiously. Then I saw little pegs on every place we'd been at. From Kyoshi, to Haru's village, to a lot of other places. He'd definitely been keeping tabs on us.

"So what is it? What do you want to say?" Zuko asked, his voice having a slight annoyed edge to it.

Looking at him, I saw he was slightly uncomfortable by what I would say. Iroh walked over to the table and took a seat. That left Zuko and I standing awkwardly in the room.

"Look Zuko... I know how much you're going through right now. Being banished and trying to regain your honor is a lot to put on your plate. But if your thinking for one minute that I'm coming back home with you you're wrong," I said. "My water tribe family and Aang need me. The Fire Lord obviously wants nothing to do with me."

Zuko stared at me trying to comprehend what I was saying. "When we get to the temple I'm going with them, and you can't stop me," I continued, though my voice broke slightly at the end knowing perfectly well he could if he wanted to.

After a moment of anxious silence, Zuko smirked. "You're different than before," he began. "When we were kids you were scared of everything. Even the slightest glance from someone made you cower in fear. Now you're actually fighting for what you want. You're not the little sister I once knew."

Shrugging, I said, "I guess nine years in the south pole does that to people."

Suddenly Zuko was only a small footstep away, and he grabbed me by my burned shoulder making me slightly wince. Pulling me forward he hissed in my ear, "If you think for one second I'm letting my little sister go with the enemy then you're wrong. You'll stay here until I capture the Avatar, and then we can both return home. If I tell father you helped me then I'm sure he'll welcome you home with open arms."

Shoving Zuko off I yelled, "Are you even listening! Why in the world would I want to help you turn in Aang? He's my friend Zuko! He's practically my family! And if you really think dad will open his arms and welcome me home you're wrong! He hated me back then so he most likely hates me now! I'm not going to let you control what I do with my life! Yes you're my brother, but what you're doing is wrong! Until you realize that you're not getting your sister back!"

By the time I finished I had fire spouting from my fists. Zuko's eyes were wide with shock, and I could tell he didn't expect me to fight him. After a moment, Zuko finally spat, "Fine. Go with those kids you call family; I don't care anymore. If you really hate me that much, Amber, then just say it! Say you hate me!" He shoved me against the wall of the room, but he was careful not to hurt me to bad. "Say it!"

Tears filled in my eyes, and I felt my heart ache for my brother. If only he understood how difficult all this was for me. Having to accept the fact that my blood related family were the ones that started this whole war in the first place.

"I don't," I whispered truthfully. "I could never hate you."

Zuko closed his eyes, and I could tell he was trying to calm down. After a moment, he opened his eyes and asked, "Why do you choose them over us? We're your real family."

Looking straight into his pained eyes, I answered, "They are too."

Zuko pondered my words for a moment, then sighed and let me go. At once the pressure from the wall disappeared and I rubbed my good shoulder. "Fine," he whispered. "Do whatever you want. Go with those peasants. You would've just gotten in the way anyway."

His words actually felt like a knife stabbing into my heart. I know he said it because he was upset, and I know he didn't mean it. It still hurt though.

Zuko left then, leaving me to silence. Iroh stayed seated at the table, and I could tell his eyes were watching me, waiting for what I would do.

"_I'll protect you sis... Promise," seven year old Zuko whispered. "You don't have to be scared. I'll never let anything happen to you."_

Falling back against the wall, I felt my body sink to the floor where I sat shaking.

"_Hey... It's okay," Sokka's seven year old voice said. "It doesn't matter if you lost your memories. You're our sister now. Me and Katara will protect you."_

Letting out a shaky breath, I closed my eyes to try and escape it all.

A few hours passed until I finally came out of the room. Iroh had left a long time ago, saying he needed to make sure Zuko wasn't doing anything stupid.

As I walked through the ships halls, I found myself wondering how I was going to get off the ship. After walking some more I got my answer. Passing by an open door, I stopped and turned back to it with surprise. Inside was a steam boat, and I knew very well it was Zuko's. It wasn't very big, but it was big enough to hide in. I just hoped and prayed Zuko would be taking it to Roku's temple.

Hopping in the small boat, I opened a hatch that led under the boats deck. Lighting a flame so I could see I looked around. There were crates and supplies beneath, and I found a comfortable spot behind a pile of rope. The pile was tall enough that if Zuko came below he wouldn't see me behind it.

As I sat there I felt my fear of small enclosed spaces seep back through me, so I began to picture I was on Appa. I pictured we were flying through the sky- Sokka, Katara, Aang, and I. I pictured us all happy, safe, and free.

It seemed like a few hours passed, and at one point I felt the ship jerk violently a few times making me think we were in battle. Then it was all calm, and the ship was floating smoothly again. It was a few moments later that I heard footsteps above me on the deck of the boat I was in.

"Look! I'm going before I lose them. Just keep searching for her. She couldn't have gotten far," Zuko's voice ordered from above.

Iroh's voice seeped through the deck above saying, "Zuko... Our men have searched every corner of this ship. Amber's gone."

"How?! I think I would know if one of the boats were missing, and I doubt she swam!" Zuko shouted.

"Maybe she did swim," Iroh responded.

The hatch suddenly opened and I stopped my flame and held my breath as Zuko came below. "I can't believe she'd just leave! Doesn't she know how much she means to you and I. We thought she was dead for nine years, and then she shows up out of the blue and wants nothing to do with us!" I heard something crash about three feet away.

"She's still confused Zuko... She definitely knows she's Amber but she's been living another life. We have to be patient and show her we care. Yelling at her and kidnapping her constantly probably doesn't help."

"I know," Zuko muttered. "I just pictured this different. That Amber would be happy to see us again, and that she'd want to be with us. She's nothing like she use to be."

Iroh sighed, then I heard them walk back up above deck again. The hatched closed behind leaving me in the dark. Lighting a small flame so I wouldn't have a panic attack, I listened for any sign that the boat was being lowered. A few minutes later I felt the boat move, and then I felt it sway. That told me we were being lowered down to the water, or we were already in the water.

Waiting about thirty minutes, I decided it was safe to go up on deck and so I did. Opening the hatch, I heard Zuko shout in surprise. Wincing from the sudden sunlight, I stepped out onto the steel deck and looked at my brother who had gotten into a fighting stance.

Zuko immediately lowered his fists and looked at me with amazement. "Amber! Have you been here this whole time?!"

Smirking, I said, "You're not very good at hide-and-seek."

To my surprise, he didn't get mad at my comment. Instead he smiled weakly. "Yeah... You always beat me at that."

When he said this memories of us playing hide-and-seek as children returned to my mind. He'd always spend hours searching for me, to the point where he had to give up. It turned out I was always right under- or over- his nose.

"Oh yeah... I use to hide in the palace garden tree. You'd search all over for me, but never look up. You were so gullible."

He glared at me, but then a second later he smirked. "Yeah... I guess I was."

"So... You're not going to throw me overboard or anything right?"

Zuko shook his head, then turned back to look at the volcano we were approaching. "I thought about it for a while, and I've decided uncle's right. You shouldn't be forced into something you don't want."

Sighing with relief, I walked over to him to stand by his side. "Thanks," I whispered.

Zuko only nodded.

"You know Zuko... It doesn't have to be like this. If you want you can come with us. Help us fight for what's right. You don't have to do what father says."

He looked away not wanting to meet my eyes. "I respect father... He's a great leader."

"He's a heartless monster," I muttered.

Zuko didn't respond and an awkward silence fell between us. It was only a few minutes later that I broke it. "I was wondering... What happened to mom? I never hear anything about her from anywhere. It's almost like she doesn't exist anymore."

At once I saw pain flash across Zuko's eyes.

No... Mom...

"What happened to her?" I asked.

He didn't answer.

"Zuko..." I said with sudden terror. "What happened to her?"

It seemed like forever till he finally answered. "I don't know," he whispered. "She protected me from dad one day, and then the next she just disappeared. Azula says she's dead, but I don't know."

At once I clutched the rail in agony. My water tribe mom, and my fire nation mom. Both gone.

Then after a moment I felt furious. Furious at my father. That murderous pig didn't care about anyone but himself and his throne. Sneering, I hissed, "I'll kill him."

Zuko looked at me in surprise. "Kill him? Kill who?"

"You know who," I spat. "The man who tried to kill me. The man who probably killed mom. I'll give him what he deserves!"

Zuko stayed silent, but I saw something suddenly flash across his eyes. For a moment he almost caved in, but then his eyes turned hard. "Dad wouldn't Amber... Stop talking about him like that!" he yelled.

"Whatever," I snapped, then walked to the other end of the boat so I didn't have to look at Zuko's face.

When we finally reached land Zuko was about to get off the boat but stopped. Looking over at me, he saw I was nearing the side of the boat where I too could step off. "You're really planning on going with them?" Zuko asked.

Looking over at Zuko, I said, "It's my choice..." Then I jumped over the side of the boat and ran away from Zuko, not daring to look back.

After walking around the shaking volcano that we were all on, I suddenly wandered upon Appa. He was laying on the ground, and his fur seemed slightly burned. It appeared that he'd been hit by very large fire balls. "Hey boy," I said, walking up to him.

Appa looked over to me, and I saw his eyes light up. He then stood and licked me covering my body with saliva. "Ew! Appa!" I complained, trying to brush off some of the slimy liquid. Patting him after I managed to get the majority off, I said. "Wait here while I go help the others." Then I found a path that led up the volcano and took it.

After climbing up the rocky structure for a good ten minutes I managed to make it to the top. Only when the large golden temple came into view I saw I wasn't alone. About twenty soldiers were lined outside the main entrance, and Zhao was walking toward the door with a smirk. A gasp escaped me, and I quickly turned around to climb back down the volcano. It was just as I was about to step back that I heard Zhao's cold voice.

"Well, well... If it isn't Amber. Where are you heading to? The funs just starting."

Just as I was about to jump away and run, a soldier had managed to get to me and grabbed my arm yanking me away from my escape toward Zhao.

Great... I was captured again. Twice in one day. That was a record for me. And this time it was the Baboon who got me.

"Zhao," I hissed, when I was only a foot away from him.

He smirked at me, then stepped forward grabbing my chin hard. "Hello princess... By the look of hate in your eyes I assume you remember who you are."

"I know exactly who I am," I spat trying to burn the soldier restraining. "And I know what you did to me!" I yelled. "You sick monster! I'll kill you first, then kill my father!"

Zhao laughed. "You kill me? Please! You couldn't even hit me if you tried."

The bracelet around my wrist suddenly went warm, and I heard Roku whisper, _Your bending is connected to my own. If you search for the power inside you, you can defeat them._ Closing my eyes, I thought about what he said and immediately I knew what I had to do.

"Want to bet?" I asked, then opened my eyes to see Zhao's arrogant expression.

"Not today," he sneered. "I have an Avatar and Prince to capture."

Immediately I let power flow through my veins, and breathed slowly to relax my muscles. Then I noticed the same glow from before take over my body. Grinning, I let the power in me control my body and I blew a flame at the soldier restraining me. He flew almost thirty feet, then disappeared over the side of the volcano.

Zhao stared at me with terror, then he turned to rage. Rushing forward he shot a flame but I ducked and kicked fire at him sending him flying ten feet back into his men. The tumbled over with loud thuds.

After a second to regain himself, Zhao yelled, "What are you waiting for? Attack!"

His soldiers all took out their spears, while others lit flames in their hands. Then at least twenty of them ran at me. As I fought with every ounce of power in me, I watched as Zhao and about ten of his men entered the temple disappearing inside.

Creating a wall of fire around me, I shot through the flames to hit as many soldiers as I could. A few of them got close, but none of them were able to penetrate my wall. One soldier ran up and shot fire at my ten foot wall of flames, but the fire deflected and shot back at the man. Another soldier took his spear and flung it toward me, but my wall burned it to ash.

"How is she so powerful?" One soldier cried.

Another shouted, "She's glowing! Maybe she's the Avatar!"

"Impossible!" the one who threw the spear yelled.

The men then did what I expected them to. They all charged at once, closing in around me. As they did this I closed my eyes and pictured the fire around me to shoot out and knock them all off the volcano. As if my thoughts controlled me, I opened my eyes to find the wall around me shoot outward and hit the men pushing them back. Then the flames shot them over the side and down below. Their screams could be heard as they fell.

_Well done, _Roku whispered, and the glow around me immediately vanished. When this happened I felt as if every ounce of my strength was gone, and I passed out from exhaustion.

When I came to a few moments later, I could hear a voice pierce through my ears. Beneath me I felt the earth was hot and it was shaking. After collecting myself for a moment, I tried to remember everything that had happened and the gasped. We were on a volcano, Aang was in danger, and I just took out twenty soldiers.

Jumping up, I tried to steady myself only to have the shaking earth tip me back. Falling backward, I was surprised to find strong warm arms steady me. Turning in surprise, I saw Zuko look around anxiously. "We have to go!" He shouted over the volcano's rumble. "This place is going to blow."

My eyes widened at his words, and I pulled from him quickly. "Well what are you standing around for! Run!"

Zuko looked at me for a moment, then he understood. "You're still not coming?"

"No!" I yelled, then I took in a hard breath to calm down. "No Zuko… I'm going with them."

Zuko's pained eyes showed me just how much my words hurt him. Without saying another word to me, he turned and left. Left me to watch him go with an aching heart. Why do I always feel so guilty when I hurt Zuko?

The ground below me suddenly cracked, and I gasped as it opened up causing me to lose my footing and fall into it. Screaming, I grabbed a hold of the opening's ledge and tried to pull myself up. Looking down, I watched with terror as the lava began to rise toward me. After a moment of holding on for dear life, I began to feel my hands sweat and start to slip. "Help!" I screamed, though I was pretty sure no one heard me over the eruption.

My hand slid some more, and I felt the heat below grow stronger. Closing my eyes, I tried once more to pull myself up but couldn't. So this was how I'd die? Not exactly one of the best ways to go.

Just as my hand slipped some more, and I realized with one more slip I'd be dead, I heard something. It was really hard to hear anything over the earths rumble, but I heard something. The sound of someone shouting from above. That's when I felt a strong warm hand grab my own, and I immediately wondered if Zuko had come back to save me.

"Hang on Kaya!" Sokka cried from above, and for a moment this surprised me. Then I felt my heart leap with joy. Sokka was here. My water tribe brother was here to save me. "I'm going to pull you up!"

Immediately I felt him pull me up, and in no time he had me out of the hole and we both fell on the ground out of breath. Appa hovered above, and I looked up to see Katara's relieved expression. "Come on!" she cried, then flew Appa down herself to get close enough to us. Appa's tail ended up resting on the ground so we could use it as a ramp.

Sokka was up in a flash, but I couldn't move. My body was still frozen from my almost death. He must have noticed, because he pulled me up into his arms and then ran up Appa's tail. When we got onto the saddle, he sat me down and shouted to Katara, "Go!"

Katara nodded and pulled on Appa's reins telling him to go. He did just that, and we flew away from the volcano. Looking around, I saw Aang was seated by a pile of scrolls and his body was shaking. He must have gone through some ordeal too.

"How did you get here?" Sokka asked suddenly, wrapping a blanket around my trembling body as if I were cold.

Taking in a hard breath, I said, "Zuko came to the village looking for us. When he found me he decided to capture me. I've pretty much been with him all day."

"So you escaped when you reached the island?" Aang asked, now that he'd somewhat calmed down.

Nodding, I told them about sneaking onto Zuko's small boat and hitching a ride to the island. Katara returned to Appa's saddle now that he was on a course north again, and smiled at me.

"You were always good at hiding," she said, speaking about the days when we played hide and seek at the southern water tribe.

"That's what Zuko said," I whispered, and that earned an awkward silence from everyone.


	10. Pirates

The sun shined brightly as we continued our flight north. Aang was getting really jumpy as each day passed and was actually beginning to annoy me. It had been a week since we'd left Roku's temple, and every day that passed he was getting worse.

As I sat on the saddle, I watched him pace back and forth on Appa's saddle, muttering something under his breath. Katara was watching with worry, while Sokka was guiding Appa through the sky.

"Hey Aang," I said, my arms crossed as I watched him continue his pacing. He didn't respond to me, too deep in his thought. Sighing, I yelled, "Aang!"

Aang jumped and looked at me in surprise.

"Will you please sit down? I'm about to jump up and knock you out," I said, though I didn't really mean it. Momo, who was curled up in my lap, sat up and chattered at this.

'I'm sorry... I just don't have time to sit down," he exclaimed, then continued to pace.

Groaning, I turned around and looked out watching the passing clouds.

"Well you should," Sokka said. "If we hit a bump you'll go flying off! What's bugging you anyway?"

As Aang spoke about some comet and how he was supposed to master all four elements before it arrived, I sat back and felt exhaustion try to pull me under. It had been a week since I'd truly gotten any sleep. Every night I was plagued with memories, most of them about being Zhao's prisoner. They always showed me in a cell, either chained up or tied with rope. Then Zhao would come in with either fire in his hands or a whip that already had my blood on it. Whenever he'd go to strike me, I'd wake up.

Deep down I felt I should tell Sokka or Katara, but every time I wanted to I shut down. Katara would worry too much and Sokka would go looking for a fight with Zhao.

"Calm down," Katara suddenly said, bringing me back to present. "If you want I can try and teach you some of the stuff I know."

"You'd do that?" Aang asked with surprise.

She nodded and the two crawled over to me and looked over my side of the saddle. "We'll need to find a good source of water," Katara stated.

"Maybe we can find a puddle for you to splash in," Sokka joked.

In the end we found a large river with a waterfall. It looked good enough to me. When we landed Sokka, Katara, and Aang walked over to the water. As they did this I took down all of our supplies from Appa's saddle and then walked over to the water. Kneeling beside it, I rested my hand in it's cool liquid and watched as it flowed past. Then I tried to remember when the last time was that I'd had a good wash.

Since I had my sarashi on underneath (which I also called my swimsuit) and I pulled off my clothes from my prisoner days. I'd never actually been able to claim my water tribe clothes back from the prison.

Stepping into the water, I could tell already that the dirt and grime was getting off my body. Then after a moment of getting use to the water, I dived in. The current wasn't too strong, so it wasn't that hard to swim against it.

When I resurfaced a moment later, I heard Aang shout, "Yehh! Don't start without me Kaya!" He began to pull off his robes, but Katara stopped him.

"Remember the reason we're here," she said.

Aang pouted, put his clothes back on, and then followed her to a spot about twenty feet away.

Sighing, I ducked back under and let the water rush past. It was as I did this that a memory came to my mind.

"_Azula!" I cried, sitting up from the bed I was sharing with her and glaring at her. She smirked and poked me in the face again. "Stop it," I cried, shoving her hand away. "Or I'll go get mommy."_

_We were at our summer home on ember island, and mommy and daddy were in bed asleep. Azula smirked and crossed her arms. "Here's the deal, Amber. You go fetch me and Zuko both ten seashells and I leave you alone the rest of our stay here. Deal."_

_Glaring at her, I climbed out of bed and yelled, "Deal!"_

_Then turning, I left my room and quietly made my way through the hall. The guards who were positioned outside our summer home were talking in a circle, so when I walked passed them they didn't see. Running toward the ocean ahead, I began to search for shells. The majority of the shells could only be found where the water hit the land, so that's where I went._

_As I gathered seashells by the lapping waves, I didn't expect a giant wave to suddenly come crashing down on me. Immediately I fell to the sand and all of my seashells were taken back into the ocean. Then as I tried to stand again, another wave knocked me down. When I came out of the water for air, I let out a hoarse scream. My scream was cut off as another wave brought me under. _

_Fighting against the rushing water, I noticed I was being dragged into the ocean. It was then that I began to panic. No one had taught me how to swim, so as I tried to thrash through the water to get to air, I felt I was getting no where. It was then my lungs began to tighten and my strength began to give. _

_The last I remember was a warm body wrapping around my own and pulling me up._

When I suddenly came back to reality, I found I was still under water and my lungs were bursting. Quickly I swam to the surface and gasped when air could fill my lungs once more.

"You alright?" Aang shouted from where he and Katara stood by the river bank. Katara looked relieved to see I hadn't drowned.

Not wanting my memories to try and kill me again, I got out of the water without answering him. The swim had made me exhausted, and I felt as if I'd pass out any moment. After using my bending to evaporate the water on my skin, and then pulling back on my prisoner clothes, I began to head toward the edge of the forest beside us.

Walking over to a large branch, I sat on it and stared over at Aang and my sister as they began to practice bending. Sokka walked over to me suddenly and I felt him drop a blanket onto my shoulders. The sudden warmth almost put me to sleep.

"What happened to you under there? It was like you went under and something was keeping you down," Sokka tried to pry.

Looking down at my hands I shrugged. "I don't know. I just lost track of time I guess."

"Yeah right!" Sokka snapped, crossing his arms and glaring at me. "I know exactly what's going on."

Sighing, I whispered, "No you don't."

"Oh yeah... I know you haven't been sleeping. I've watched you for the last five days. You begin to mutter in your sleep, then you jump up from your bedroll in terror. I've even followed you once or twice to see you fire bend for the rest of the night. What's going on with you? Back home you slept like a rock and it took both Katara and I to get you out of bed."

Looking away from him, I answered, "I just have a lot on my mind."

He went to say something else but stopped. For at that moment a huge wave suddenly shot up and hit the campsite washing our supplies into the river. All of the food we bought and gathered was gone in a flash.

"Aang!" Sokka cried.

Aang still had his hands up in the air but quickly dropped them. Then oblivious to the supplies he'd just destroyed, he said to my speechless sister, "Looks like I got the hang of that move. What else you got?"

Katara said crossly, "That's enough practice for today."

"You think," I muttered.

Sokka marched over to Katara and Aang then. "I'll say. You just practiced our supplies down the river."

Aang was surprised by this, then looked at the river where the supplies were long gone. "Uhh... Sorry. I'm sure we can find somewhere to replace all this stuff."

"It was hard enough when you were just an airbender," Sokka muttered, then walked off to go get the money bag which survived the wave.

Katara sighed, then walked over to me. "Are you sure you're okay?" She asked, still fretting over me almost drowning.

"Peachy," I said with a grin, but truthfully I was exhausted. From not having any sleep all week, to almost drowning in the river, I could feel my body begin to shut down.

"I saw a port not too far from here when we were flying over. We can go there for supplies," Aang suddenly said.

Sokka walked over to us with a bag of coins King Bumi had given us. "We have enough money to buy some food and other small things. I suggest we buy what we need and then use the rest to get Kaya some clothes."

Looking down at my clothes, I frowned, "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

He answered, "You look like a beggar." Then he turned and walked in the direction toward town. Sighing, I followed him and the other two toward town. Momo came with us, mostly riding on Aang's shoulder, but sometimes coming on to my shoulder.

When we reached the town and entered I really felt out of place. It was a port full of sailors, merchants, and pirates. The place made me very uneasy and want to go back to Appa in the woods.

Walking through the crowded streets of the town, Sokka gave each of us some money to go separate and buy supplies. Leaving the group I went into a clothing shop to see if they had anything that would make me less poor looking.

The thirty year old earth kingdom woman in the shop was very kind in helping me find a cheep affordable outfit. She could tell I was fire nation, and started to pick out some red outfits. I declined and went over to the blue fabrics. What I got was a dark blue skirt that split on the side with blue trouser underneath, and a light blue shirt that hugged my teenage curves. They were close to water tribe even if they weren't exact colors. After I paid the confused lady, I left and began to head toward the middle of the town where I assumed my family was.

As I walked past different groups of men, women, and children I reached a part of the town by the docks. When I got there I saw a large vessel with a really skinny grimy man in front of it. He was trying to get people to come on board and buy stuff. At first glance I could immediately tell he was a pirate.

As I made my way past the ship not daring to even glance over at him, I heard him shout, "Hey you! You look like a lady who values her jewels. We have plenty on board."

Looking over at him, I glared and he shrunk away when he saw my golden eyes. A lot of people seemed to shrink away when they saw my gold eyes.

Eventually I found Katara and Aang sitting on a shop window looking out into the crowd. Aang saw me approach first and his eyes widened. "Wow Kaya! You look great!"

Smiling weakly, I muttered my thanks, then took a spot beside Katara. "How are we on supplies?" I asked.

Katara look in the cloth bag on her lap. "We have some fruit and vegetables to last us for a week. After that we'll have to either get a job or gather food."

"Maybe we'll be at the Northern Water Tribe by that point," Aang said.

I felt some what uneasy by his words. "Yeah... Great."

They both looked at me with question. "You don't want to go?" Aang asked slightly dismayed.

Sighing, I looked down at my hands. "I don't want them to see me as a monster. Our tribe only accepted me because mom and dad made them. The northern tribe may not be so happy to have an enemy spawn on their icy land."

"Oh hush! You're not enemy spawn!" Katara defended. "And besides, the northern water tribe was sent word about you nine years ago. They know your story and they've never once told our tribe we were wrong for keeping you."

Looking into her eyes, I smiled weakly. "Yeah... Maybe you're right."

Katara smiled back.

"Okay..." Sokka suddenly said coming out of the shop and stopping in front of us. "We have exactly three copper pieces left-" Sokka suddenly stopped when he saw me. "What are you wearing!"

Looking down at my clothing, I wondered what was wrong with it.

"No sister of mine is wearing clothing like that!" Sokka said, pointing at my shirt which was tighter than I normally wore. "I don't have time to fight guys off your shoulders!"

Rolling my eyes, I said, "It's a shirt Sokka. At least everything's covered."

He looked like he wanted to argue, but Katara intrrupted. "How much money did you say we have again?"

Sokka composed himself and answered. "Three copper pieces. That's all we have left from the money King Bumi gave us. Let's spend it wisely."

"Uh, make it two copper pieces, Sokka. I couldn't say no to this whistle," Aang said holding up a whistle in the shape of Appa. He then blew into it but no sound escaped.

"Great purchase Aang," I said sarcastically.

"You have no room to talk!" Sokka snapped gesturing toward my shirt again. Oh come on... Katara wore tight shirts all the time.

Sighing, I muttered under my breath, "Way too overprotective."

Sokka ignored me and went back to scolding Aang, then Katara took the two coins from Aang so he wouldn't spend anymore. "Come on... Let's get back," Katara said, then began to lead us toward the direction of the forest.

The town was still busy as we walked through it, and I received the same cold stares as before for my fire nation blood.

"Earth Nation! Fire Nation! Water Nation! So long as bargains are your inclination, you're welcome here! Don't be shy, come on by!" The same pirate from earlier suddenly shouted. Rolling my eyes I kept on walking hoping the others would follow.

"Oh! You there! I can see by your clothing that you're world traveling types! Perhaps I can interest you in some exotic curios?" The pirate said, stepping in front of us so we couldn't leave.

Glaring daggers at the man, I hissed, "We don't have any money haggling pirate!"

The man tried to remain composed, and looked at the others. Aang must have been really oblivious, because he asked, "What are curios?"

The pirate thought about it for a moment. "I'm not entirely sure, but we got them!" Then grabbed Aang by the shoulders and began to lead him on the ship.

Looking at Katara and Sokka, I said, "He's crazy! Does he have any clue what he's doing?"

Katara shrugged. "They seem harmless to me." Then she too turned and made her way on the ship. Sokka sighed, but followed Katara, and eventually I ran inside mostly to keep my family safe. When we got inside I watched as the pirate led us through the ship, down some stairs, into the cargo hold.

There we found tons of shelves loaded with stolen goods. There were items from every nation and as I stared at each item I wondered if they killed for it. Katara was too busy staring at a strange looking monkey statue. Sokka looked a little bored, but scanned the shelves to see if something caught his eye. Aang was too excited by everything in the room to just look at one item. Everything around me was starting to give me a headache.

"I've never seen such a fine specimen of lemur. That beast would fetch me a hefty sum,if you'd be interested in bartering," a cold voice suddenly echoed through the room. We all turned to see a man in his early fifties, with long gray hair, cold dark eyes, and a strange parrot on his shoulder. He was eying Momo with greed.

"He's not for sell," I snapped, blocking Momo as he sat on Aang's shoulder.

"Yeah... What she said," Aang snapped too.

The pirate captain leered at me, then went to say something else. Katara cut him off however. "Look at this Aang! It's a water bending scroll. Check out these crazy moves!"

We all looked at Katara who held in her hands a very ancient looking scroll. No way we could afford it unless I was still living as a princess. Zuko could probably buy it with uncles money.

"Where did you get a water bending scroll?" Aang asked suspiciously.

The captain stood and snatched it from my sister's hand then rolled it back up. "Let's just say I got it up north at a reasonable price. Free!"

"Of course you did! You're filthy pirates! You probably killed someone for it!" I yelled.

Sokka's eyes widened. "Wow! Kaya's right! Sea loving traders... with suspiciously acquired merchendise... and pet reptile birds. You guys _are_ pirates!"

The first pirate from before put his skinny arm around Sokka's shoulders. "We prefer to think of ourselves as high risk traders."

"So how much for the, uh, "traded" scroll?" Katara asked, slightly annoyed.

The pirate captain smirked. "I've already got a buyer, a nobleman in the Earth Kingdom. Unless, of course, you kids have 200 gold pieces on ya right now?"

Aang suddenly pulled Katara aside. "I know how to deal with these guys, Katara, pirates love to haggle," Aang said. Katara handed him the two coins we had left, then Aang walked up to the pirate captain. "What say to the price of... One copper piece!"

The pirate captain laughed hard, the glared. "The price is 200 gold pieces. I don't haggle on items this rare."

"No. You just steal," I muttered.

The Captain glared at me, then his eyes widened when he noticed the gold bracelet around my wrist. "Now that I'd be willing to trade it for," he said, reaching for my wrist.

Pulling back, I hissed, "Not in your life!"

Aang inched in front of me again then said, "What about two copper pieces?"

The Captain still looked at my wrist with greed. "It's not a amusing the second time." Then he looked into my eyes. "How does a girl like you come across something of such value?"

"None of your business," I snapped.

Katara suddenly said, "Aang, can we get out of here. I feel like we're getting weird looks."

"Aye... We be casting off now," Aang joked, then grabbed his staff which he'd placed against the wall. Backing away from the pirate captain, I saw him continue to leer at me. With one final glare, I turned and ran to catch back up with the others.


	11. Nightmare

When we finally got off the ship I breathed in relief. That was one of the most cramped spaces I'd been in since that boat ride with Zuko. I really hated cramped spaces.

"What was that all about Katara?" Aang asked.

Sokka added, "Yeah, I was just starting to browse through their boomerang collection."

Katara looked around nervously. "I'll just feel a lot better once we get away from here."

"Agree with you there," I said.

Suddenly a voice from the pirate ship yelled, "Hey you! Get back here!"

We all turned back in surprise to see the same skinny pirate from earlier running down the ship ramp. Katara began to back away nervously and Sokka and I watched with suspicion. "Well well, look who's come to their senses. Told ya the haggling would pay off," Aang said.

Suddenly ten other pirates ran down the ramp too, and I gasped in terror. What did we do to them? Or were they deciding to take my bracelet by force?"

Katara suddenly cried, "I don't think these pirates are here to trade with us!"

We all decided she was right, and then turned and ran.

"Hey! Get back here!" the pirate shouted, then I heard the pirates begin to run after us. We made our way quickly through the town, down a dark ally, toward the gate that led to our safety. The pirates stuck behind us, and I shot a few fire balls back trying to hit one of them. My fire was able to knock only one down, and the rest kept coming.

A moment later we rounded a corner and Katara yanked water from some barrels and froze it on the ground. Looking back I saw the first two pirates slip and fall, while three others jumped over them and kept chasing us.

Suddenly we found ourselves in a dead end and the pirates gathered around behind us with harsh laughter. The pirate we first met stepped forward with a knife. "Now who gets to take the steel of my blade first?" he hissed.

"No thanks," Aang cried, then shot a gust of wind shooting dust everywhere and blinding the pirates. Aang then rushed forward and we ran with him. "Hold on tight!" he ordered opening his glider.

"What! You can't hold on to all of us!" I cried, but grabbed onto his leg any way. A moment later all four of us were flying through the air, over the pirates heads, and away from danger. Aang had a hard time flying with so much weight on his leg, but eventually he managed to land outside of the town.

We were safe.

When we go back to camp, we all stood and stared back toward the direction of town.

"I used to kinda look up to pirates, but those guys are terrible," Aang said.

Katara smirked. "I know. That's why I took... This!" She suddenly held up the scroll from earlier and I slapped my forehead in disbelief.

"No way," Aang said unhappily.

"Katara!" I whined, knowing immediately everything that transpired was her doing.

"Isn't it great?" Katara exclaimed, not understanding how annoyed we all were with her.

Sokka suddenly stepped forward. "No wonder they were trying to hack us up! You stole their water bending scroll!"

Katara smirked. "I prefer to think of it as high risk trading."

Aang laughed while I slapped my forehead in disbelief. "Ha ha... Good one Katara!" Aang said.

Sokka glared at her in rage. She immediately defended herself. "Where do you think they got it? They stole it from a waterbender!"

"You still didn't have to almost get us killed!" I complained.

"Yeah! You put all of our lives in danger just so you could learn some stupid, fancy splashes!" Sokka cried.

As Katara continued to speak, I decided I'd heard enough and walked off. I was tired, and I really didn't feel like hearing my siblings bicker today.

Sighing,I sat up against a tree and stared out toward the river. My family stopped bickering now and I watched as Katara and Aang began to practice the moves. Sokka, who looked annoyed, came over and sat beside me.

"She can be so stubborn at times," Sokka muttered.

Nodding, I closed my eyes and began to feel my exhaustion take me over. My days of no sleep were taking their toll on me, and before I could stop myself I let my exhaustion over come me. As soon as my eyes closed I began to dream.

"_Just a few more days till we reach the south pole. How are you enjoying your trip?" Zhao asked, walking over to where I cowered in the corner of my dark cell. Whimpering I curled into the tightest ball I could and looked away from him. My back was in searing pain from being burned and whipped._

_Zhao's hand suddenly grabbed my chin and I screamed as he forced me to look into his cruel gold eyes._

"_Scream all you want. You might want to save your breath though for when you're thrown in the ocean. Though you'll die in the end," he hissed, then broke out into laughter._

_A sob escaped me and I cried, "No! I don't want to die! Mommy! Zuko!"_

_Zhao slapped me hard across the cheek and I winced from the familiar pain. He slapped me a lot._

"_Keep your mouth shut! You should know by now no one's coming to save you!" Another slap sounded in my ear, then he hissed, "You're a stupid rejected princess who no one loves anymore. You ugly, bratty, no good swine!" He kicked me and I heard a crack in my ribs._

_The pain was so intense, that I let out a cry of pain._

Crying out in pain, I flew up and clutched my ribs where they had once pulsed in agony. When I calmed down some I saw it was later in the day and someone had moved me to a bedroll. Looking around for my family, I found Sokka was cooking some fish stew but had turned to look at me when I screamed.

"You okay?" He asked, starting to stand and come over to me. Nodding weakly, I turned over so he couldn't see me cry.

No one had come to save me... Had mom even tried to send someone after me. Zuko was too young to help, but mom had some power didn't she? Why hadn't she sent someone to stop Zhao? Of course she probably didn't know Zhao had taken me, but she could have sent someone to find. They obviously stopped their search before they even started, because no one had even thought to question the southern water tribe about my whereabouts.

Unless father lied about the search to everyone. He might have told the Fire Nation he had sent search parties to find me, but in truth he may have made it so no search parties were ever sent. If my mom tried to send out a search, there was a high possibility dad had stopped it.

Sokka had approached, and I felt him touch my shoulder in a comforting way. "Hey... Everything will be okay in the end, sis. We'll stop the fire lord so that he can never hurt you again."

Sitting up I threw my arms around Sokka and broke into sobs. He held me as I cried and I could tell he didn't mind. He use to always comfort me when I was sad back at the south pole. This time was no different. As I continued to cry, I heard Katara and Aang enter the campsite. Looking over at them with blurry eyes, I saw they had some berries in their hands. When Katara saw my tear stained face her blue eyes filled with worry.

"What happened?" Katara asked.

Aang looked into my pained eyes with sympathy, while Sokka said, "I don't know... She just screamed all of the sudden, and then when I came over to her she started crying."

Pressing my face into Sokka's shirt once again, I tried to block out everything. Why couldn't I have just been born in the southern water tribe? Then I wouldn't have to be plagued by these constant nightmares.

That night, as everyone went to sleep I tried to calm my mind but couldn't. My fathers hatred toward me, and the fear that I'd be tortured more by Zhao kept me awake.

As midnight steadily approached, I suddenly heard Katara get out of her bedroll and make her way over to Sokka's bag. As quietly as she could, she pulled out the same scroll from earlier and started to walk the mile trek toward the river. As she went I heard her tell Momo to go back to sleep, then she disappeared into the forest.

Sighing, I decided I 'd better go after her before she got into trouble. It wasn't like I had anything better to do. It wasn't like I was going to sleep.

Getting out of the bedroll, I made my way across the forest following the path I hoped led me toward the river. It was about an hour later that I'd actually found it, since my sense of direction was terrible.

When I got there, I was about to step into the clearing but froze. Glancing through the trees, I saw two ships settled on the ground. One was Zuko's small vessel I'd hitched a ride on once, and the other was the pirates ship.

"Katara..." I whispered. Then I turned and inched more toward the river. On the bank of it I saw Zuko with about ten of his soldiers, Uncle Iroh, and the pirates. Tied to a tree was my sister and she didn't look happy.

"Go jump in a river!" Katara shouted.

Zuko looked slightly mad, but kept his cool. Walking up to my sister he tried to contain himself. "Try to understand... I need to capture him to restore something I've lost. My honor. Perhaps in exchange I can restore something you've lost." He pulled something out of his armor and it was then I saw it was Katara's necklace. The one she'd lost back at the prison.

"My mothers necklace! How did you get that?" Katara ordered.

Zuko smirked. "I didn't steal it if that's what you're wondering. Tell me where he is."

"No!" Katara shouted.

The pirate captain suddenly stepped forward annoyed. "Enough of this necklace garbage! You promised the scroll!"

Zuko glared at the captain and then pulled the scroll out. Lighting a flame below it he said, "I wonder how much this is worth?" A few pirates inched shouting no. "A lot apparently. Now you help me find what I want, you'll get this back and everyone goes home happy. Search the woods for the boy and girl, and meet back here."

The pirate captain sneered. "Fine." Then the pirates left and I inched closer.

If I could just sneak to the tree, I could untie Katara and we could get out of here.

"Don't even think about hurting Aang or Kaya," Katara suddenly hissed.

Zuko glared at her and snapped, "Don't you dare call her that! Her name's Amber, peasant!"

Katara scoffed. "Like she wants to be. After everything your family did to her, it's no wonder she keeps coming back to Sokka and I."

Zuko lit a flame again and I covered my mouth in terror. Would he really burn her? Uncle took a step, getting ready to intervene, but Zuko extinguished the flame.

"You can't keep making her believe she can be both," Zuko calmly said. "She's probably tearing up on the inside because she doesn't want to choose. She needs to stop living as someone she is not. Whether you like it or not, Amber is her real name. She's my sister, and I love her. You can't expect me to give up on her and let you win."

Zuko's words surprised me. He loved me. I'd never expected Zuko to say something like that. Katara hadn't either, because she stared at Zuko amazed.

Uncle stepped forward then, and said to my sister, "I think what my nephew is trying to say, is that until Amber accepts who she truly is, she will never be at peace. You can't go on calling her Kaya."

Katara looked between my uncle, and my brother, and her blue eyes filled with something I couldn't register. Understanding?

"I'm not going to lie... I do admit she's going through a lot of inner emotional things, but I don't think just changing her name is going to help," Katara said.

Zuko went to argue, but then he stopped. "What do you mean inner emotional things?"

Katara immediately shut her mouth, and I wondered what she meant to. Then after a moment she answered, "She's having a lot of nightmares... Nightmares about Zhao. Others about her father. Whenever she falls asleep, she wakes up a few hours later screaming."

Zuko turned away, and I could just catch a glimpse of his expression. He looked worried. Terribly worried.

Uncle suddenly glanced my way, and I ducked behind my bush praying he hadn't seen. To my luck, he didn't say anything to Zuko. Looking back over my bush, I saw Zuko still not meeting my sisters eyes.

"Look Zuko," Katara spoke again. "Even if you take Kay-" Zuko glared at her. "Amber back to the Fire Nation, what do you think will happen? You're dad's not just going to welcome her back with open arms. He tried to kill her."

Zuko went to argue but stopped. The pirates were back, and they had Sokka and Aang in their grasp. He looked at Sokka, then over to Aang with a smirk. It all vanished though. "Where's the girl?" he asked the pirates. They only shrugged and I smiled.

Making my way closer, I heard Katara say to Aang, "Aang. This is all my fault."

"No, Katara it isn't," Aang answered.

Katara held her head as my uncle said, "Yeh... It kind of is."

Rolling my eyes, I managed to get to the tree where I lit a small flame to burn the ropes. As I worked on the ropes, Zuko said, "We'll find her later. Give me the boy."

The pirate captain scowled. "Give us the scroll."

Sokka scoffed. "You're really going to hand over the Avatar for some stupid piece of parchment."

The Captain's eyes widened, while Zuko yelled, "Don't listen to him. He's trying to turn us against each other."

The rope around Katara suddenly fell, and she gasped, turning and glancing over at me. Dropping the rope, I smiled then stayed hidden.

"Your friend is the Avatar?" the pirate captain asked.

Sokka smirked at Zuko. "Sure is. And I'll bet he'll fetch a lot more on the black market than that fancy scroll."

Zuko growled, "Shut your mouth you water tribe peasant!"

"Or you'll what," Sokka snapped. "I really don't think your _sister _would like it if you burned her _brother._"

Zuko suddenly lit a flame. "You are not her brother! Be silent!"

"Prince Zuko! Stop!" Iroh ordered, and Zuko extinguished his flame stepping back from Sokka.

Sighing with relief, I went to pull Katara into the forest so she could hide with me, but something grabbed me from behind. Screaming, I was suddenly shoved forward by skinny pirate with the earring.

"Look who I found," he said, dragging me out into the open. Lighting a flame, I tried to hit him but he grabbed my hand and twisted it around my body. Crying out in pain, I struggled as I was forced in front of everyone.

Both Zuko and Sokka's eyes filled with surprise.

"Kaya!"

"Amber!"

They both shouted my name, and I watched as they glared at one another. "Her name's Amber you filthy peasant!" Zuko yelled.

The pirate holding me looked at me with surprise. "Wait a moment... Wasn't the fire lords daughter named Amber?"

Another beefy pirate cried, "Yeah! I heard rumors goin' around that she never died!"

The pirate captain, who was still standing beside Sokka and Aang, looked over at me with a smirk. "Really... Well that explains where you got that fine bracelet." Then he looked at Zuko with hard eyes. "Keep the scroll! We can buy a hundred with the reward we will get for the kid and the girl."

Just from where I stood, I could see Zuko was outraged by this. As the pirates began to yank all of us toward their ship, Zuko shouted, "You'll regret breaking a deal with me!"

Before any of us knew it the whole river bank became a battle ground. The pirate holding me released me, and I ran toward Zuko who was fighting the pirate captain. Just as I was about to run in and help him a smoke screen appeared and I couldn't see a thing. Left and right I bumped into pirates, and once or twice I felt a blade slice across my skin.

Falling to the ground, I tried to crawl out of the smokey battle, and when I finally got out I saw Sokka, Katara, and Aang were out too. "Run!" Aang shouted, grabbing my hand and pulling me away from the battle toward the enormous pirate ship. Looking back, I wondered if Zuko and uncle were alright.

"Come on! Help me get this boat back in the water so we can get out of here!" Katara said, trying to shove the pirates enormous ship.

Sokka stared at it in disbelief. "We'd need a team rhinos to budge this ship."

Aang released my hand and walked over to Katara smiling. "A team of rhinos... or two water benders." Katara smiled back at Aang, then the two of them began to use their bending to pull the tide in to lift the ship into the river.

As they did this I glanced back at the smokey battle. The sound of swords clashing and the fire bursts made me anxious for my brother. Would he be alright? I know he had soldiers to protect him, but I still longed to know he was safe from harm.

"Everybody in!" Katara suddenly shouted, and I looked over at her in surprise. They'd managed to get the ship floating. Running to catch up, I managed to follow the others as they climbed up the ship. When I got on deck, I rushed to help Sokka drop the sails so we could set off.

As I pulled on the ropes, I saw the severity of my injuries. There was a bloody slash on my right arm, and a small slice on my face, but other than that I was in one piece. At least I got out of this battle without a burn.

As we began to float more down the river, I watched as Sokka stood at the wheel steering the large vessel. Then a few moments later, I saw Zuko's steam boat gaining on us and noticed the pirate captain had stolen it.

"Sokka! Can't you make it go any faster?!" Aang shouted, looking at the pirates anxiously.

"I don't know. This thing wasn't made by the water tribe!" Sokka shouted back, holding onto the wheel for dear life.

The pirates were on our tail now, and I knew I had to give us more time. Running across the deck, I stood at the back of the ship where the pirates could be seen. Then I lit a flame and fired at the pirates making them scramble on the boat they had stolen. They returned their fire by throwing knives and spears at me. Luckily none of them had good aim.

Eventually they managed to get beside us and grab on to the side of the ship pulling themselves up. Then we had no choice but to fight the pirates. As Katara and the others fought, I took on three pirates. One of them was beefy, another was short, and the last was bald. As they tried to hit me with their knives and swords, I heard the pirate captain shout, "The Avatar and girl can't be harmed. Their worth way too much."

"Do you honestly think I'm worth anything? My dad will probably kill of you after he deals with me," I said, backing away from the sneering pirates.

"The fire lord's gonna pay us for our services," the bald pirate spat, then jumped forward throwing his hand forward to grab me. Lighting a flame, I fired at him sending him flying off the ship. A splash was heard a second later, cutting off the pirates shouts.

The other two pirates ran forward when they saw their comrade in the water, and a second later they ended up in the water as well. Smirking with triumph, I turned only to have the pirate captain come out of no where with his sword. Ducking, I heard his sword whiz past my head.

"Yer not escaping us," he growled, going for another swing. A water whip came out of no where and hit the pirate captain on the head making him turn in rage.

My sister stood looking at the pirate captain with fury. "Stay away from her!" Then as the pirate captain turned to attack Katara, I hit him with a flame causing him to fall to the deck unconscious. It was then I saw it. We were coming upon a huge waterfall.

"Guys! We're in trouble!"

Katara and Aang looked over at the falls, while Sokka continued to fight the pirates. Then Aang took out the whistle he bought earlier today and blew on it.

"Aang! This is no time to be blowing whistles!" I cried.

A pirate suddenly grabbed me from behind, and I threw my head back hitting him in the chin. He howled in pain while I ran to my siblings.

Sokka watched anxiously as Katara and Aang were using their water bending to stop the boat. Looking at the falls, I saw with terror that their bending was only slowing down our coming deaths. The ship began to turn sideways, and if we were to move one more inch we'd be lost in the falls.

"We have to get off this thing before we end up dead!" I cried, looking around for anything that might help us get to land.

Aang smiled at me as they continued bending, "Relax Kaya... We've stopped the boat!"

Sokka's anxious voice responded, "Yeah... But we have another problem!" Turning to follow his gaze, I saw with terror the pirates were gaining on us, and in a flash their boat hit ours. The impact sent us all flying, and we screamed as air whizzed past us and we fell to our deaths.

Something hard hit me from below, and my fall was cut short as Appa caught me in his saddle. Then only moments later we were flying through the air, and I heard my family sigh with relief. Sokka sat up then and rubbed his sore arm.

"I knew a bison whistle would come in handy," Aang exclaimed, sitting up and holding his whistle in the air. "Thanks, Appa."

Sokka added, "Yeah. We owe you one."

Sitting up, I saw Katara was seated against the saddle frowning. As she began to apologize to Aang for putting our lives in danger I crawled over to the side and looked down below. Just as we were entering the clouds, I saw my brother look up at me with pain filled eyes. Why did I feel so guilty?

"Besides... Who needs a stupid scroll anyway," I heard Katara suddenly say.

Looking back over, I saw Sokka smirk. "Is that really how you feel?" He then took the scroll out of his shirt pocket.

"The scroll!" Katara exclaimed excitedly.

Sokka held up a finger to stop her. "First, what did you learn?"

Katara sighed, "Stealing is wrong." Then she took the scroll with a smirk, "Unless it's from pirates."

Aang laughed and I smiled. Then after I moment, I saw Katara look over at me. Smiling at her, I watched with shock as she looked away. That was odd.

After a few more hours of flying, and watching quietly as Aang and the others spoke amongst one another in whispers, I began to feel something was going on. So I asked, "Why are you guys whispering? If you have something to say then I want to hear it."

Sokka, Katara, and Aang looked over at me for a moment, then at one another with contemplating eyes. Katara nodded then, and I watched as Sokka sighed and Aang smiled weakly. Turning back to me, Sokka said, "Sorry... Amber."

My eyes widened then, and I felt totally and utterly lost. Why was Sokka calling me Amber?

Standing, I crossed my arms self consciously. "Why are you calling me Amber?"

Katara stood too. "It's my idea... I think that the only way you're ever going to come to peace with yourself, is if we call you by your true name."

Looking down at the saddle, I asked, "What's wrong with being Kaya?"

My sister grabbed my hands to pull them from me, and I stared into her blue eyes with confusion. "Nothing... You'll always be Kaya to us, but it's time to face the facts. You're real name is Amber. Zuko is right. You can't keep living as two... You have to accept who you truly are."

Pulling from her, I felt tears pull into my eyes. "Accept that I'm a monsters child, who was rejected by her own nation! That my father kills countless people everyday and is the reason for this war! That I'm a monster myself for being tainted with this cursed blood!"

Katara grabbed my shoulders and her blue eyes pierced through my gold. "No! Accept the fact that you're fire nation and are fighting on the good side. Accept the fact that you're fighting against your father to defeat this war! You are Kaya of the southern water tribe, but also you are Amber of the southern water tribe. A name means nothing! You will always be our sister, but you have to accept that you're Zuko's too. Stop fighting within yourself, and instead help us fight this war!"

Katara's rant ended, and I stared at her with surprise. Sokka and Aang stared at the water bender in amazement.

After a moment, Katara spoke again. "You are Amber, Princess of the Fire Nation, and you are not a monster. You are kind, loving, and strong. All the things the Fire Lord is not. Stop hating you're past and make a brighter future."

Katara was finished then, and I felt as if every ounce of energy within me faded. Falling onto Appa's saddle, I did the only thing I could do.

I cried my heart out.


	12. I'm not my father

Lying back I stared up at the trees above me. It had been two weeks since our run in with the pirates, and I'd actually gone that whole time without a single nightmare. My body felt ten times better now that it had gotten the rest it needed. Since I was no longer debating on whether to be Kaya or Amber, I felt as if a heavy burden had finally been lifted from my shoulder.

"Amber! Can you give me a hand?" Katara asked, and I sat up watching as she threw some ingredients into a metal pot. Standing from my spot I walked over to her and took the spoon she held out for me. Then I began to stir the stew.

Katara had been calling me Amber frequently, only once or twice accidentally saying Kaya. Aang tried his best too, almost making it as a game. Whenever he'd call me Kaya he'd slap his forehead and fix the mistake. Sokka was a bit more resistant. At first he refused to call me Amber, saying it was pointless. Then he saw how much more at peace I was coming to, and he decided it wouldn't hurt to try.

Every now and then I did miss being called Kaya, but I knew I had to accept Amber because that was who I truly was.

Princess Amber of the Fire Nation, kidnapped when I was four and almost murdered, then saved by the southern water tribe, and raised to save the world from my father. It was a brief idea of who I truly was, but it summed up my life pretty well.

The stew was about done, and Sokka came over smelling the fishy scent. "Smells great, and I'm starving."

Aang came over carrying four bowls we'd bought at the market with the pirates. Handing each of us one, we each took our share and then used wooden spoons to eat it. The stew wasn't the greatest, but it was warm.

"So how much longer do you think it will take to reach the North Pole?" I asked, certain that we should be getting close by now.

Sokka placed his bowl down and pulled out the map from his shirt pocket. Laying it out, he said, "I believe we are right here near Gaipan village. From the way the map is laid out, I'd say we still have another three or four weeks."

Sighing, I ate the rest of my stew wishing that we'd get there sooner. Winter was going to come to an end soon, and we'd be getting closer to the day of the comet.

As we continued to sit and talk amongst one another, I stopped. Looking around, I wondered where Momo had run off to. When I asked, Aang and the others began to grow concerned. Soon we were shouting Momo's name through the forest, and searching for him.

As I was just about to look behind a bush, I heard Aang cry, "I found him!" Turning, I ran over to Aang and the others. To my shock, I saw Momo in a cage about twenty feet in the air. In two other cages there were hogmonkeys searching frantically for an escape.

"Hang on Momo!" Aang shouted, then used air bending to jump above and try to untie the cage. He eventually managed to lower the cage and when he did Momo was able to escape. Laughter escaped me as I saw Momo had grabbed some leechy berries from the cage and ate them.

As Aang dropped down, and we were about to leave, the two howler monkeys above began to whine. Aang had a heart for animals, so he started to fly back up there. Sokka grew impatient and threw his boomerang knocking the cages down and releasing the animals. As the howler monkeys ran, I stepped over to the traps and knelt down.

Tracing my finger across the bars used for the cage, I suddenly gasped as my head split in pain and a memory struck me.

"_Uncle!" I cried, running to catch up to Uncle Iroh as he walked down the palace halls. He turned, surprised to see my four year old self. Then he smiled and picked me up making me giggle as he spun me in the air. _

"_Ah... There's my favorite niece," he said, putting me down then patting my head. "Want to come check out the traps with me?" he asked._

"_Okay!" I exclaimed, then skipped beside him as we walked down some halls, out of the huge palace, down a empty courtyard with soldiers who bowed as we passed, and finally through the gate toward the small forest area we owned._

_Holding onto uncles hands, I pointed out whatever I saw. The wildflowers, strange animals, flowing water of the streams, and even the sky. Uncle listened intently, and at times he told me what some things were. He showed me different types of plants, fruits, and even was able to point out some animals._

_Finally when we got a good mile from the palace, we arrived upon two cages that had trapped an animal in each. One cage had a tiger-monkey, it's face looking at me with sad eyes. It beat it's hands against the cage practically begging to be released. The other cage held a lion-vulture. It's feline body and sharp beak gave me shivers._

"_What will you do to them?" I asked, seeing both creatures look at me with fear and pleas. _

_Iroh stroked his beards, smiling, "Well I'm not a big fan of either, so I'll probably send one of my men back here to release them. I usually only expect to find Boar-q-pine or Aardvark Sloth. Ah well. Better luck next time." Then uncle took my hand again and began to walk me back to the palace._

_Looking back, I saw the poor animals in the cage and felt really bad for them. I'd hate to ever be put in a cage._

Yanking my hand away from the metal, I held it close to me as if I'd been burned. If my memories were going to come back like this, then I kind of wished I got them more in my sleep.

"Amber? You okay?" Aang asked, coming over to me with question. Katara and Sokka were watching and getting concerned again.

Smiling reassuringly, I answered, "Yeah... I'm fine." Then standing, I looked over at Sokka trying to get serious. "We better go. These are fire nation traps. I recognize their design."

Sokka sighed, "Great... Just when you think you have a small break from the fire nation."

He then turned and made his way back to camp. Aang followed behind with Momoon his shoulder. Katara and I hung back, and I wondered why she was looking at me with curiosity.

"Hey Amber... Were you having a memory?"

I looked away from her with a weak smile. "Yeah... Sorry for worrying you."

My sister suddenly pulled me close to her and hugged me tightly. "I wish there was some way to help... I hate seeing you in pain," she said.

Hugging her back, I said softly, "I'm okay... I promise."

When we got back to camp I found Sokka had packed up most of our sleeping bags and supplies. Katara and I quickly cleaned out our bowls from lunch, then helped load everything on Appa. Sokka stopped us though as we were placing our bags in the saddle.

"Ah-ah... No flying this time," Sokka stated, grabbing my bag from me.

"What?" Katara said at the same time I said, "Why?"

Aang came over looking disappointed by Sokka's words. "Why can't we fly?"

Sokka sighed. "Think about it... Somehow Prince Zuko and the fire nation keep finding us. It's because Appa's too noticeable."

"No he isn't," I said, patting Appa's side and looking at Sokka with a pout.

"He's a giant fluffy monster with an arrow on his head- it's kinda hard to miss!" Sokka exclaimed.

Aang smirked, then looked at Appa. "Sokka's just jealous 'cause he doesn't have an arrow."

"I know you all want to fly, but my instincts tell me we should play it safe and this time walk," Sokka said.

Grinning, I said, "Instincts eh? Since when do you talk to your instincts?"

Sokka glared. "Since Zuko started tailing us these last few weeks."

"Who made you boss?" Katara snapped.

Sokka defended, "I'm not the boss- I'm the leader!"

Sighing, I turned and walked away from my squabbling siblings to finish packing. Eventually we began to set out on foot toward the south pole, though I assumed we'd have to fly again when we hit water. As we walked Sokka and Katara babbled on and on about instincts and what not. After a while I got annoyed and shouted, "Shut up! You're acting like children!" They both fell quiet and we continued walking.

As we walked I stared at the trees around me and then closed my eyes feeling a cool breeze hit my face. It was winter, but here the air felt almost fall like. It's hard to think that such warm weather could even exist. After years of living I the south pole all I'd known was freezing cold temperatures. Though now that I thought of it, I could remember in my very young years how hot it was at the Fire Nation. It was always summer there.

"Amber!" Katara called, and immediately I looked over at my sister to see they all had stopped and were watching me.

It was then I noticed I had stopped walking, and blushing with embarrassment I ran to catch up. We walked for a few more hours, and at that point I had started a flame in my hand and let it leap across my fingers. Aang was astonished by my beginner trick, and he wanted me to show him more.

Smiling, I took in a breath and lit a bigger flame. This time it enveloped my own hand. Then when I made sure Aang was watching, I shot the fire in the air and manipulated it so it would shape into a dragon. The ball of fire did what I wanted, and stayed a dragon for a moment till it evaporated into smoke.

"That was amazing!" Aang exclaimed, jumping up and down with excitement.

Shrugging, I said, "It's just something I've always known how to do. I don't remember exactly who taught me it when I was younger, but I'm sure the memories will all be back one day."

Aang thought over this for a moment, then he smiled. "Hopefully they're all good ones." When he said this I looked at my hands. I wished what he said was true, but I had a feeling Zhao would be creeping into my mind once more, sucking all the happy memories away.

Finally after another hour of walking, I began to feel my feet ache and my body become weary. "Hey Sokka... How much longer til we can fly some more? By this rate we'll not make it to the South Pole for another year!"

Aang complained, "Amber's right! Walking stinks! How do people go anywhere without a flying bison."

"I don't know Aang. Why don't you ask Sokka's instincts? They seem to know everything," Katara joked, and Sokka huffed in annoyance.

"I'm tired of carrying this pack," Aang complained again.

Katara grinned. "You know who you should ask to carry it for a while?"

"Sokka's instincts!" I answered, joining in just to mess with my brother.

Katara giggled while Aang said, "That's a great idea! Hey, Sokka's instincts, would you mind-"

"Okay. Okay, I get it. Look guys, I'm tired too, but the important thing is," Sokka began, pushing through a bush, "We're safe from the... fire nation." As we got out of the bush we all stood in a small clearing with a bunch of soldiers sitting around. They all looked up in surprise when they saw us, and we all looked at one another in terror. A man came out of the one tent in the clearing, and I saw a patch over his eye.

"Run!" I screamed, then we dropped our bags and turned to leave.

The soldiers all jumped forward and before we could go back through the bush a big wall of fire appeared. "Crap!" I said, turning and looking at the menacing men who looked ready to hurt us, a couple of kids.

"Sokka! Your shirt!" Aang shouted. Turning I saw Sokka's shirt on fire and as he screamed and thrashed his arm I held my hand out manipulating the flames so they were nothing. Sokka gave me a grateful glance, then we turned back to the group of men in front of us.

The leader with the eye patch had a wide eye as he had seen me fire bend. "Well well, looks like we have a traitor in our midst," the man sneered.

"If you let us pass, we promise not to hurt you," Sokka said, and I lit a flame in my hands as if to threaten the man to do so.

Katara looked at him in surprise. "What are you doing?"

"Bluffing," Sokka muttered.

He grinned and then laughed at Sokka. "You? Promise not to hurt us?" The Captain of the troops said.

To everyone's surprise, the captain fell forward with a groan and landed unconscious in the mud. His men lowered their spears in shock. "Uh... What just happened?" I asked.

Aang grinned, "Nice work Sokka! How'd you do that?"

"Uh... Instinct?" Sokka muttered.

"Look!" Katara shouted. We all followed where she was pointing to a boy or young man standing in the trees. He had a hook sword in each hand and he immediately jumped from the tree, used the branch to hook his swords on and swing down, then landed on the ground. With swift movement he ran forward, hooked his swords around two soldiers feet, and they fell down.

"Down you go," the sixteen year old boy cockily said.

Then the clearing turned into a huge war. Kids jumped from the trees landing on top of soldiers. As the kids fought the four of us began to fight as well. Running forward, I dodged a mans spear and shot a fireball at his stomach. He flew back and hit the ground hard, making me wince at the sound.

A shout was heard from behind and I turned shooting another ball of fire at an oncoming soldier. The man dodged my attack and slammed into me sending me onto the ground. As he held me down, I heard him hiss through his helmet, "You'll pay for your treachery! The Fire Lord will have your head."

Glaring at the man behind the helmet, I hissed, "The Fire Lord's wanted me dead for years. Your words mean nothing to me." Then I brought my knee up and smashed it into his groin. He cried out in pain and fell over letting me escape. Trying to stand, I found my balance and then went to rejoin the fight.

Something thin but strong slammed into me suddenly, and I felt my body hit the ground hard sliding a few feet. My bare skin burned, but I didn't let that slow me down. Jumping up, I turned to face my knew opponent, only to find it wasn't a soldier at all.

A girl probably Katara's age stood in front of me. She had really short hair, and her outfit hid that she was a girl pretty well. She glared at me and held a knife in front of her as if to fight me. Extinguishing the flame in my hand, I backed away in shock. "Wait. I'm on your side," I promised.

She glared more intensely, then ran forward. Shrieking, I jumped back as she swiped her knife at me. Dodging her attacks, I knew that firing at her would make my situation twenty times worse. Trying to grab her hand to get the weapon, I felt the blade slice my palm and I pulled away in shock. This girl meant business.

"Stop! I don't want to hurt you," I said, meaning every word. The girl growled and jumped forward again, and I tried to step back once more.

A water stream came out of no where and the girl was knocked to the ground. Katara came running over with worry. "Amber! Are you alright?"

"No!" I hissed, holding my bleeding hand to my chest. The girl on the ground glared up at me and pulled her dagger back in her hand. Jumping up she yelled at Katara, "Step away from her! She's fire nation!"

Katara stepped in front of me, pulling water forward. "Stop this! I won't let you hurt her anymore!" It was as she did this that I noticed the fighting had ceased- the soldiers were either unconscious or gone- and everyone was watching. Everyone but the boy with hook swords, Sokka, and Aang, who were all running toward us.

"Smellerbee! Enough!" hook sword boy yelled, and the girl looked at whom I guessed was her leader in surprise.

"But Jet! She's a fire bender!" Smellerbee shouted.

Jet looked at me for a moment with hate, but then he looked back at his follower with hard eyes. "I mean it. These people are good. Even her." He said the last part with doubt though.

The girl huffed in fury, then turned and stalked off to help the others gather supplies. Jet turned back to me, while Sokka and Aang rushed over to see if I was okay.

Sokka noticed the blood dripping from my hand and quickly took my hand into his. "We need to patch this up. Aang, go see if theirs first aid stuff in the tent!" Aang nodded and ran into the tent disappearing inside.

"I'm sorry about her. Just like all of us, she holds a lot of grudge toward anyone in the fire nation," Jet said, sending me a look of pure distrust.

Glaring at him, I yelled, "I'm water tribe!" Then yanking from Sokka's grasp, I continued, "I'm not going to stand around and be given looks of hate. Come on guys. Let's go before they send a spear through my heart."

Turning, I walked back to the burnt bush and grabbed my bag with my good hand. "Sorry Jet... I guess we should go," Katara began.

"Just stay the night at least. You guys can rest up for your journey and leave in the morning. I promise we won't hurt your friend anymore," Jet said, giving her a reassuring smile.

Katara smiled back, and I looked at her with pleading eyes. "Okay... Just for the night. Plus, Aang really wants to see this hideout."

"No!" I cried, turning to my sister in disbelief. Sokka was unsure what to do with me wanting to leave, and Katara wanting to stay.

Aang suddenly came back, and I saw he had a box in his hand I assumed was for medical purposes. He looked at all of us with confusion. "Uh... Did I miss something?"

Sokka walked over to me as I was about to turn and leave. There was no way I was staying with people who wanted to chop my head off. Sokka grabbed my arm saying, "Just one night, Amber. Then we'll leave and pretend none of this ever happened."

Looking at my brother feeling betrayed, I said, "They'll kill me Sokka."

"No we won't," Jet promised, but his eyes showed lies.

Katara looked at me almost pleading with her eyes. Deep down I was terrified and wanted to go with my gut, but at the same time I wanted to make my sister happy. Looking down in defeat, I knew I was going to regret this deeply. "Fine," I muttered. "But as soon as the sunrises, we're gone."

Katara ran over and hugged me, while Aang smiled slightly at the thought of seeing the hideout. Sokka stared at me with worry, then whispered so I could only hear, "I'll protect you."

"You can't make that promise," I whispered, then looked down at my hand once more. The blood still came and I wondered if bleeding to death would be better than going with these kids...

We followed the kids for a good thirty minutes, and Aang kept complaining that my cut needed to be mended. Jet kept reassuring him that I'd make it and it would be better to mend it at the hideout. When Aang asked my opinion I kept silent. Just because I was with these kids, didn't mean I was going to be polite. They all wanted me dead.

When we got to the hideout, Jet said, "We're here."

"Where? There's nothing here," Sokka said, looking around in disbelief.

Jet smirked, and took a vine hanging from the trees above. "Hold this," he said, handing the vine to Katara.

Sokka took it with confusion. "Why... What's this do?" Suddenly the vine wrapped around his wrist and he flew up into the trees screaming. Jet offered one to Aang, but he said, "I'll get up on my own." We all watched as Aang flew up into the trees, the medical box in hand.

"Grab hold of me Katara," Jet said, offering her his hand as he held to a vine.

Katara was about to go, but stopped when she noticed I was still standing there holding my bloody hand to me. "You should take Amber first," Katara said.

Jet gave a tight smile. "Longshot will get her up."

Katara turned to look at me, but I turned away from her looking at the ground. What was the point in her changing her mind now. We were already here. "Okay," she said unsure, but she took his hand anyway and they flew up in the trees together.

That left me alone with a boy in a straw hat, and the same girl from earlier who wanted me dead. The girl stepped forward. "Listen you fire nation trash! Do anything that we find a threat to our home, and we'll kill you," she snapped. Then she shoved me and I glared at her with fury.

"Don't antagonize me then," I hissed.

She glared. "Was that a threat?!" she shouted. She then went to reach for her knife again.

The boy with the bow stepped forward to intervene, but the girl backed away. "I'm keeping my eyes on you fire nation freak," she hissed, then she grabbed a vine and flew up into the trees.

The boy my age, Longshot, held his hand out for me to take. Instead of taking it, I walked over to a log and sat down. "No thanks. Tell my family that if they need me I'll be down here," I said.

Longshot went to argue, then after a moment he let out a frustrated sigh. Walking over to me, he reached forward and grabbed my hand forcing me to stand and follow. "Let go!" I ordered, trying to shove his hand off with my bloody one. He grabbed that one too, saying in a soft voice, "Calm down." Then he pulled me to his tall lean body- though I struggled the best I could- and then he grabbed a vine sending us flying through the air.

When we broke through the trees I found myself speechless by the sudden rush of wind through my ears. Then we landed on the platform of an enormous tree house fort, and I knew my moment of flight and freedom was over. Time for the judgmental glares.

"Amber!" Sokka suddenly said, then yanked me from Longshots hold. "Come on. The others are already going. Once we get to where we'll be staying I'll fix up your cut."

Sighing, I followed my brother to catch up with the others. Jet was talking to Katara about some fire nation troops taking over an earth kingdom town a few years ago, and how him and his freedom fighters did all they could to mess with them.

"One day, we'll drive the fire nation out of here for good and free that town," Jet said.

Katara must have had a crush on this boy, because she said dreamily, "That's so brave."

"Yeah. Nothing's braver than a guy in a treehouse," Sokka said sarcastically.

Katara looked back at Sokka with narrowed eyes, then turned back to Jet. "Don't pay any attention to my brother."

Jet smirked. "No problem. He probably had a rough day."

As Jet and Katara talked some more on a wooden bridge that connected to tree houses together, Sokka pulled me along muttering something about letting the two lovebirds chat. As we got onto the other platform, one of the kids who was a giant- Pipsqueak- showed us to a hut where we'd be staying for the night. The hut was wooden, with piles of hay inside it to sleep on.

Aang dropped down beside us as we reached the huts entrance, the first aid box in his hand. "This place is awesome! I wish we'd had tree houses at the air temples."

Looking back, I saw Jet brush his hand across Katara's cheek as they continued to stand on the bridge. "I prefer being on the ground," I said, narrowing my eyes at Jet as my sister blushed.

If he hurt her, I'd kill him.

"Why? Being up here you can see everything!" Aang exclaimed.

Looking back at him, I said, "All I see are sticks and leaves." Then I walked inside the hut not even bothering to see if Aang or Sokka followed.

A few hours passed, and Sokka had managed to dress my wound with some alcohol and gauze. Now we were headed to dinner, where Jet promised a feast for a whole army. As we walked from tree house platform to platform, I began to notice a lot of kids stop and stare at me with either amazement, terror, or hate. Immediately I hid myself with my long hair, not wanting to see their scrutinizing looks.

When we got to Jet and Katara, we found them already seated at an enormous table with all types of food and cooked meat. At least he got the feast part right. Aang plopped down beside Katara, while Sokka sat beside Jet, and I sat beside Sokka. I refused to get six inches near the fire nation hating leader.

As we ate, I watched kids approach the table and get their own food. When some of them saw me, they dodged the plates of food in front of me and went to other parts of the table. These kids really knew how to make you feel unwanted.

Jet stood a moment later, holding up a cup of flavored water to make a toast. "Today we struck another blow against the fire nation swine!" The kids on the platform cheered at his words, while I shrunk down and hid my face some more.

"Now the fire nation thinks they don't have to worry about a couple of kids hiding in the trees," Jet continues. "Maybe they're right..." The whole platform we were on burst into a chorus of boos. "Or maybe... they're dead wrong!" Cheers escaped from everyone then, and I felt my blood run cold.

As Jet sat back down, and Katara told him how great his speech was, I turned to Sokka who was sitting with arms crossed and looking glum. "I'm going back to the hut. I refuse to stay here and be insulted." Sokka didn't say anything, but nodded to let me know he heard.

Standing,I turned and began to walk away. "Amber! Where are you going?" Aang shouted, making me stop and wince as my silent escape was ruined.

Turning to him, I smiled weakly. "Just going to bed. I'm really tired from today."

"Do you want me to escort you?"

Jet answered Aang before I could. "I'll have Longshot take her. We wouldn't want her to get lost," he said, then shot a look at his follower who stared back at him without emotion. The tall lean kid stood, then walked over to me almost looking annoyed.

We then turned and made our way back toward the bridge that would lead us to the other platforms. It was dark now, and a cool breeze drifted through the air making me shiver slightly. As we walked, I looked over at Longshot once or twice seeing his eyes planted on something in the distance. As crickets chirped around us, and the sound of laughter and voices from the kids began to fade, I began to notice how creepy it was up here, walking beside a complete stranger.

After a moment of silence, I finally decided to speak. "So... You must really look up to Jet."

Longshot remained silent for a moment, and I sighed guessing I was too much of a monster to talk to. "I respect him. We've been through a lot together," he said, his figure becoming dark as our light source became little to nothing.

Nodding, I asked softly, "Do you think I'm a monster?"

"No," he said after moment. "If you're the Avatar's friend, then you can't be."

He then walked a few paces ahead, and I smiled weakly. At least one kid here didn't hate my guts.

When we got back to the hut, Longshot lit a lantern illuminating the room and relieving me of the dark. Then Longshot sat across from me, telling me he was supposed to keep an eye on me till the others got here. Since it was Longshot, I didn't complain. As we sat for a while longer, I finally asked, "So how'd you end up here, in Jet's gang?"

Longshot stared at the flame of the lantern with hesitant eyes, then he answered, "My parents were killed in a fire nation raid when I was ten. The troops came during the night while we were all sleeping, and when my mom heard the screams she forced me to run into the woods while she distracted the soldiers. After wandering through the woods for a few days, Jet and the others found me. They took me back to their hideout and taught me how to fight so that one day I could take revenge on the men who killed my family."

Frowning, I closed my eyes trying not to picture the people being burned alive or imprisoned.

"So what about you? How'd you end up with the Avatar?"

Looking down at the bracelets on my wrist, I said, "It's a long story."

Longshot leaned back on some hay, saying, "I've got plenty of time."

Hesitating for a moment, I decided that if he could trust me with his past, then I could trust him with my own. Leaving out the part that I was the Fire Lords daughter, I told him about being taken from my family at the age of six, losing my memory, growing up in the South Pole with my brother and sister, and then I told him about meeting the Avatar and beginning our journey together. I left out a lot of details, but I did tell him I was beginning to remember bits and pieces about my past.

"I know that my father hired some men to kidnap me and try to kill me. If the water tribe hadn't saved me then I wouldn't be here," I said, pulling my knees to my chest.

He stared at me in surprise, then his eyes turned sorry. "Wow... So the fire nation ruined your life too."

"Not really. I think of it more as the fire nation made my life better. If my dad never sent me away, then I'd never have met my Water Tribe parents, become a sister to two of the best siblings in the world, and I'd never been able to go on this amazing adventure with the Avatar."

Longshot nodded, his face seeming deep in thought as he pondered my words.

It was some time later when I realized I'd fallen asleep. Waking up, I found a blanket had been draped over me and my family had come to the hut. Katara slept soundly on some hay, while Aang sat up asleep in the corner of the room. Sokka was awake though, and he looked like he was preparing for a battle.

"Where are you going?" I asked softly.

"Jet wants me to go on a mission with him this morning. I've got to head out if I don't want to be late," he answered, then stood with his boomerang in hand.

"Be careful," I said, sitting up and watching as he began to exit.

He stopped before exiting, his boomerang held tightly in his hand. "I will," he promised, then he turned and left.

While he was gone, I left the hut to go find some breakfast for everyone. Going from platform to platform, I searched the trees for anything that looked edible. Eventually I reached the end of the massive tree house fort and sighed in dismay. Guess the freedom fighters picked all the fruit.

Turning I glumly made my way back the way I came. When I tried to do one nice thing for my family I always seemed to fail. As I got closer to the hut, I began to hear the sound of what appeared to be wood creaking behind me. The sound of someone following close behind.

Turning swiftly, I looked around for the cause only to find no one was there. No one except an empty wooden platform. Deciding I was just being paranoid, I took a second to let my rapid heart slow, then I turned once more to head back to the others.

Immediately I bumped into someone, and I felt a rough hand cover my mouth as I went to scream. Looking at the intruder, I was filled with horror when I saw a boy I remembered to be Sneers. "Sorry about this," he said, his eyes actually showing some sympathy.

He grabbed onto my waist, and I tried to wriggle from his hold as he dragged my kicking body off the platform into a hut that had a cloth hanging at the entrance. When we got inside, Sneers shoved onto a pile of hay and then let me go.

"What the Agni are you doing?!" I cried, turning in fury to the fourteen year old kid. The boy immediately turned and left the room, and I watched him go with amazement. What the spirits just happened? Trying to get a hold on the situation, I stood straight and brushed hay off. Then I went to leave, still somewhat confused by this whole ordeal.

Just as I went to push the cloth aside and leave, someone entered and my eyes widened when I saw who it was. Jet stood in front of me, his dark brown eyes boring holes into my gold ones. "What's the hurry?" he asked, taking a step forward. Sneers and Pipsqueak entered then, and my eyes widened when I saw them holding rope in their hands.

"Katara will be furious with you. Don't you have any idea how foolish this plan of yours is? My siblings will question where I am, and then what will you tell them?" I snapped, backing away from the sneering boy who looked ready to slice one of his hooks words through my heart.

"Oh Amber... Pretty Amber. You really think I haven't thought this through?" Jet smirked when he saw my look of question. "You've hated it here from the moment you stepped foot on these platforms. All I have to do is tell Katara that you couldn't take it anymore and left. You'll even leave a note telling her you decided you prefer traveling alone."

"There's no way I'm writing any of that! And even if I did my sister wouldn't believe that crap a bit!" I shouted.

Jet stepped forward then, grabbing the rope from sneers. "Who said you were writing the note?" He then rushed forward and I did the only thing I could think of. Lighting a flame, I rushed forward thrusting my fist to shoot a blast at him. He chuckled and dodged, then kicked my feet off the ground making me fall back hard.

He fell on top of me and as I struggled from his heavy body, he put his mouth beside my ear hissing, "I know who you are. Silly Katara told me everything last night Princess." My body froze when he spoke this, and my breathing hitched. Katara! No! My sister was so blindly in love with Jet that she told him who I really was. Great... Today couldn't get any worse.

As Jet tied my hands behind my back, and then proceeded to bind my ankles, I internally filled with amusement. He was stupid if he thought he could keep me tied for long. As soon as he left this hut I'd fire bend my rope and escape.

"Bring the drug over Sneers," Jet said, almost out of breath from my struggling. My eyes widened when he said this. Drug! What kind of drug?

As Jet turned me over so that I was seated on my butt, I watched with dread as Sneers walked forward with a bottle of liquid in one hand, and a rag in the other. "What is that?" I asked warily, my eyes shaking as I saw Sneers shoot me a sympathetic glance.

Jet gave a horrendous smile that made the hair on my neck stick up. "They call it chloroform. I call it a way to keep a girl from burning our tree house down." My eyes widened while my heart pounded hard in fear. Screams tried to escape me and I went to burn the ropes on my hands to stop Jet before he could do it. He was already handed the rag though, and before I could light a flame he shoved it over my mouth and nose.

My first instinct as I smelled the sweet pungent smell was to hold my breath, so I did. The only problem with that, is when you don't breathe it's impossible to fire bend. "Sneers!" Jet snapped, and the kid nodded walking over and punching me hard in the gut.

Crying out in pain, I gasped for air and breathed in the sickly drug. As my eyes became blurred, and my muscles became numb, I heard Jet's voice say, "No one is allowed in this room." Then I completely blacked out.

**Sokka POV**

Jet had gotten on my last straw. First he beat a poor innocent man, then he turned Katara and Aang against me, and now he wouldn't tell me where my sister Amber was.

"She didn't just leave Jet!" I snapped, blocking his path so he couldn't walk away. We were standing on one of the bridges, and a few moments ago Katara had found a letter signed by Amber saying she was tired of feeling unwanted and had decided to travel alone. Deep in my gut I knew Jet was hiding something.

"Look Sokka. I saw Amber walking around this morning when I got back. She was gathering some supplies and looked like she was leaving. Then I watched her lower herself down below with one of the vines. She never came back up, and I honestly thought nothing of it," he said. "Just give her some time alone to think and she'll come back." Jet then gave me a reassuring smile as if to try and make me believe him. After what happened today I knew he was lying through his teeth.

Grabbing his shirt collar with my hand, I pulled him toward me with fury. "You're lying! If I find out you've hurt her in any way Jet, I'll be the one to kill you," I hissed. Then I shoved him and turned stomping back to the hut.

Walking inside, I found Katara seated on one of the piles of hay moping. She held the letter in her hand while Aang paced the room in thought.

"He won't tell me where she is," I snapped, clenching my fists in fury.

Katara looked at me with annoyance. "He probably doesn't know Sokka. Amber never wanted to come here to begin with, so she probably had it and left."

"That just doesn't seem like something she'd do! Amber would've told us if she were leaving," I said, knowing my fire bending sister wouldn't abandon us.

Katara sighed, then stood. "Look Sokka. I know you don't trust Jet, but that gives you no reason to point fingers at him. Now as much as I want to go find her, the best thing for us to do right now is to help Jet stop the fire nation from burning down this forest. Then after that we can search the whole world for her. Knowing Amber though, I'm positive she'll come back. She probably just needs to blow off some steam."

Deciding Katara wasn't going to help me, I turned to Aang. "Come on Aang. Let's go find Amber before she gets into trouble," I said.

Aang nodded. "Okay Sokka. Let me grab my staff."

Aang and I eventually made our way out of the hut, then lowered ourselves to the forest below. We set off following the forest path, hoping maybe she'd just needed to blow off some steam like Katara had said and was only a mile or so away. After a good three hours of searching though we began to head back.

"Sorry Sokka... Maybe she really did leave. She was pretty upset last night when she left dinner," Aang said.

Closing my eyes, I said, "This can't be. Amber would tell me if she were going. What kind of leader am I? I'm supposed to protect my family, and I can't even keep all of us together."

Aang placed a hand on my shoulder in a brotherly way. "She'll come back Sokka. I know she will," Aang said. Sighing, I wished his words spoke the truth.

That night I lied awake, my eyes open wide with worry. It was dark outside. If she really was out there alone was she okay. She has her fire to give her a light, but still, she was alone. My little sister was out there all alone, and I wished more than anything that she was back with us.

As morning came, I hadn't gotten an ounce of sleep. Just as I was about to sink under though, I heard the sound of footsteps tiptoe by and Jet's voice say, "Let's go. Be careful with her Pipsqueak, she might wake up at any moment."

My eyes widened at his words, and I quickly yanked on my boots and crept out of the hut. Staying at a distance, I watched as Jet and some of the freedom fighters lowered themselves down to the forest floor with some vines. As they disappeared I saw Pipsqueak had something draped over his shoulders, but I couldn't see what it was through the dim light.

Peering over the edge of the platform, I watched from above as they loaded things onto a wagon, and then watched Pipsqueak place what he had been carrying onto the wagon as well. Then they began to leave, and I took this as my chance to follow.

As we walked on for a good mile, we eventually arrived at a cliff overlooking the river that flowed toward the village nearby. The sun was slightly hire in the sky now, and I could finally see what was on the wagon. To my terror it was Amber, a gag in her mouth and her hands and feet bound tightly. She was unconscious, and I immediately knew who was to blame.

"Now listen- You are not to blow the dam until I give the signal. If the reservoir isn't full the fire nation troops could survive," Jet said.

Longshot suddenly stepped forward. "I don't like this Jet. Amber did nothing wrong," Longshot- the boy who never speaks- said to his leader.

Jet looked at him annoyed. "She's the Fire Lords daughter Longshot! She's responsible for everything! Your families death, my parents, and every other kids loss. We have to rid this world of her before she hurts us more."

Longshot held his head down in defeat, but he looked over at my sister with regret.

"Take her down to the dam and use the chains to bind her. She'll probably come to soon and try to burn her ropes," Jet said to Sneers. Then he turned back to Longshot. "Don't blow the dam until I give the signal, got it?" Longshot nodded, his eyes refusing to meet the cruel ones of his leader.

Something suddenly grabbed my ponytail and I shrieked as I was yanked out of my hiding spot in the bush. Then I was dragged up and looked into Smellerbees eyes. "Where do you think you're going, ponytail?"

Immediately I was pulled out into view, and Jet smirked, "Sokka. I'm glad you decided to join us."

"You lied to me Jet," I yelled, struggling in Pipsqueak and Smellerbee's hold. "Let her go!"

He rolled his eyes. "As if I'd do that. She's going with the rest of those people like she deserves. I know about her being the Fire Lord's daughter."

Growling, I snapped, "She's my sister Jet! Let her go now!"

She suddenly groaned from where she lay on the wagon, and we all looked over at her. Her gold eyes opened for a brief second, and I heard her whisper, "Sokka..." Then she closed her eyes again and was out cold once more.

"You can't do this Jet! She doesn't deserve any of this. Even that town doesn't deserve what your about to do! There are people living there Jet- mothers and fathers and children!"

"We can't win without making some sacrifices," Jet said.

Sacrifices! Half the town weren't even people of the fire nation! This dude's nuts!

"You lied to Aang and Katara about the forest fires!" I snapped, pointing an accusing finger at him.

Jet looked amused. "Because they don't understand the demands of war. Not like you and I do."

Glaring, I said, "I do understand. I understand that there's nothing you won't do to get what you want. Amber was right about you. We should've left when she begged us to."

Jet sighed. "I was hoping you'd have an open mind, but I can see you've made your choice." Pipsqueak and Smellerbee suddenly tightened their grips on my arm. "I can't let you warn Katara and Aang. Take him on a walk. A long walk."

They began to pull me away from Jet and my sister. "You can't do this Jet! If you hurt Amber I'll kill you!"

Jet grinned. "Cheer up Sokka! We're gonna win a great victory against the fire nation today!"

"No! Amber!" I cried, but I was dragged farther and farther away from her. My sister.

**Amber POV**

My head was splitting in pain when I came to. Groaning, I opened my eyes only to find I was leaning against something wooden and there were cold chains wrapped around my body. Moving my body, I winced at how soar my muscles were. What happened? Where was I? Why was I in so much pain?

"Amber!" A voice shouted, and I turned my head slowly to see a giant beast drop beside me. When my senses came more into focus, I saw the giant beast was Appa, and my brother slid down his back quickly. As he ran over to me, I tried loosen my muscles and open my mouth. It was really dry and my nose burned.

Oh yeah... I was drugged.

"Thank goodness I got to you in enough time!" Sokka exclaimed, running over to me and falling beside me. He pulled out a knife from his pants belt, then quickly cut a weak spot in the chain breaking it apart. When I was freed, he pushed the chains aside and pulled me into his warm embrace. "I'm so sorry sis. We should've left when you told us to."

Where was this coming from all of the sudden?

My head was in pain, and I barely could feel as Sokka picked me up in his arms and ran me back to Appa. "I'm thirsty," I said hoarsely as he set me down on Appa's saddle.

He quickly grabbed a canteen from one of our bags and held it to my mouth. I sipped it greedily, then sighed when my dry throat was relieved. "What happened?" I finally asked, trying to sit up and managing to do so. Sokka first set Appa to fly, and as Appa soared through the air he turned back to me.

"Jet kidnapped you so he could kill you along with the nearby village," Sokka answered, flying up above the trees.

"Kill me?" I muttered, then a loud explosion echoed across the sky and I screamed. Turning, I saw with wide eyes the dam I had just been seated beside was no more, and a strong current of water was drifting straight toward the village.

"Oh no! Those people!"I cried, covering my mouth in horror.

Sokka looked back at me with reassurance. "It's alright. They made it out in time. I was able to warn them."

Relief filled inside me, and I sighed letting my pounding heart calm. Thank goodness.

Sokka suddenly pulled Appa up, and it was then I saw we were headed toward a cliffs edge. When we got on top of it, I was astounded by what I saw. Jet was against a tree, frozen to it by ice. Katara stood a few paces in front of him, tears escaping her eyes. "All those people... And Amber... Jet- you monster!"

Jet stared at her with a sneer. "This was a victory Katara. Remember that. The fire nation is gone and this valley will be safe."

"It will be safe! From you!" Sokka exclaimed, hopping off of Appa and approaching Katara and a battered looking Aang.

"Sokka!" Katara cried in relief.

"I warned the villagers of your plan, just in time," Sokka spat at Jet.

Jet's eyes widened. "What!" Standing weakly, I slid down Appa's fur to join them. Jet looked at me with fury. "No! You're suppose to be dead!"

Glaring at him, I said warily, "Sorry to burst your bubble."

"At first the villagers didn't believe me," Sokka continued to speak, drawing attention away from me. "The fire nation soldiers assumed I was a spy. But one man vouched for me- the old man you attacked. He urged them to trust me and we got everyone out in enough time. Then I managed to fly to Amber and save her before the dam blew."

Jet was fuming. "Sokka, you fool! We could've freed this valley!"

Sokka snapped, "Who would be free! Everyone would be dead!"

"You traitor!" Jet yelled.

"No Jet. You became the traitor when you stopped protecting innocent people," Sokka snapped, then turned and walked over to me. Pulling me back in his arms, he said, "Come on Aang! Katara!"

As Jet pleaded with Katara, Sokka helped me back on Appa's saddle and I sat feeling utterly exhausted. When we were all back on Appa's saddle, and Sokka flicked his reins making us all fly away, I saw Katara wipe away a single tear.

"I'm sorry we didn't believe you Sokka," Katara apologized, looking at him with regret. Aang nodded feeling sorry too. As they did I felt I had missed some fight or something.

"Don't worry about. At least now we can put this all behind us," Sokka said.

"And now you all know when I say let's leave, we should leave," I muttered.

Katara then turned and threw her arms around me. "I'm so sorry Amber! You were right about Jet and his friends, and because of me you got hurt. Can you ever forgive me?"

Wrapping my arms tightly around her, I said softly, "Of course. Just promise me one thing." She looked at me with question. "Don't fall for guys with hook swords in the future."

Aang and Katara both laughed, while Sokka shook his head in disbelief. Closing my eyes, I let the cool air brush across my face. Then I opened them and said, "Hey Sokka... Thanks for keeping your promise and protecting me."

My brother looked back at me with a smile. "I did a lousy job of it though."

"I'm alive, aren't I?"

Sokka chuckled. "Yeah. I guess that's the best I can do."

"Um Sokka... Are your instincts working today?" Aang asked suddenly.

Sokka looked at him annoyed. "Why wouldn't they be? I saved a village and my sister all in one day. My instincts are sometimes right."

Aang smirked. "Because you're going the wrong way."

Sokka's eyes widened, then he sighed. "And sometimes they're wrong." He then made Appa turn around and we continued our journey toward the North Pole. Looking back down I saw the water still flowing over the destroyed village. One day I'd help restore peace to this world, and then people like Jet would learn that I'm nothing like my father.

One day everything would be just fine.


	13. A hero

After the escapade with Jet my family were more cautious with me whenever we were around anyone not Fire Nation, which actually occurred all the time. Just last week when we got to the Great Divide- a big canyon that went two ways- my sister made me wear a cloak to hide my Fire Nation qualities. There we ran into two odd groups of people that wanted to go through the divide but hated each others guts. Eventually we were able to get them to work together, and we made it through the divide in one peace.

Then we arrived at a small fisherman village where I was once again forced to hide my fire nation qualities. Here Sokka foolishly got a job with some old guy who was very rude to Aang. A storm came while Sokka was out on the mans boat fishing, and we all had to go save him and the man almost dying ourselves in the process. That was two days ago. Now everyone was sick except for Aang and I.

Sitting on the ground in the ruins of a decaying ghost town placed on the side of a mountain, I stared down at a map outlining the whole mountain. "There's an herbalist institute on the top of that mountain," Aang said, pointing to a spot on the map he'd found in the ruins. "We could probably find a cure for Sokka and Katara there."

Looking back at my siblings, I saw Sokka blubbering something about earth bending, while Katara was coughing up a storm. "One of us should stay here and keep an eye on them," I said, wincing when Katara coughed again.

Aang stood and looked up at the sky as dark clouds began to form and the sound of thunder echoed in the distance. "I was going to just fly up there, but it looks like that's out of the question," he muttered.

Standing too, I said, "Just stay here Aang. I'll go so you don't get struck by lightening." Aang looked at me with surprise, then looked back at the storm clouds that were increasing by the second.

"Are you sure? It will probably take you an hour or two to reach the top," Aang said, his eyes looking into my own with uncertainty.

Smiling reassuringly, I said, "I use to climb ice burgs and snow dunes Aang, a mountain will be a piece of cake. Just take care of my siblings until I get back."

Aang sighed, then said, "Fine... Let me at least pack you some supplies before you go. And if the storm gets too bad then you need to take shelter." He was beginning to sound like Sokka.

"Aye, aye captain," I saluted. Then as Aang grabbed a bag and began to pack supplies, I walked back over to Sokka and Katara.

Katara coughed out again, and I held a wooden cup of water to her mouth. She sipped it thirstily, then when she was done she asked, "What's going on?"

"Don't worry sis. I'm going to find a cure," I promised, then dipped a cloth into a bucket of water. Wringing it out, I placed the wet rag on her forehead and she sighed. "Aang will keep an eye on you two while I'm gone."

Katara looked at me with blurry blue eyes. "Be careful," she whispered.

Nodding, I told her I would and then stood. Aang had a bag ready for me and handed it over still unsure. "Are you sure you don't want me to go? I can run pretty fast and be back in an hour."

Rolling my eyes, I took the bag from him and threw it on my shoulder. "Give me some credit Aang. You guys are always saving my butt, now I want to do something for all of you. Stay here and keep them out of trouble. I'll be back by tonight."

"If your not then I'm coming to look for you," Aang said, his eyes filling with worry.

Nodding, I turned and began to head away from the town. "Amber! Straight up the mountain!" Aang yelled behind me.

Sighing, I turned and waved reassuringly to him. "Got it. Be back soon."

Setting off toward the mountain, I got farther and farther into the forest and began to ascend upward. The walk was a little tough since the ground was wet, and I heard the thunder and saw the lightening get closer and closer. As I got farther and farther up the mountain, I wondered if it was going pour and prayed to the spirits it wouldn't.

After about an hour of walking, I took a small break sitting on a fallen tree log. Pulling a canteen out of my bag, I sipped my water quenching my thirst, then I pulled out an apple eating it since I'd missed breakfast. As I sat I watched little creatures scuttle by, and a few fire hawks flew up above. Watching them, I began to wish I could just magically fly up the mountain. Immediately I grew jealous of Aang's air bending.

After a good ten minutes of sitting, I stood once more and continued my ascent up the mountain. As I got higher in altitude the wind began to pick up and shivers went down my spine. The harsh gusts smacked into me and only made my journey ten times harder. When I eventually reached the top I could start to feel small drops of rain hit my skin.

Great...

Upon reaching the top of the mountain, I was utterly relieved to see a giant building with a sign in front of it saying_ Herbalist Institute. _It was not really different from the stone ruins two miles below, but it seemed inhabited still by someone. Walking inside, I found the massive building was full of plants and herbs of all kind.

Walking down the path that led through the stone building, I watched amazed as different types of insects and birds flew by. Then I looked at the pretty fire lilies and other plants that I couldn't name but was mesmerized by. Whoever took care of all this was good at what they did.

An old woman suddenly came into view, a bowl in her hands as she mixed something. She was standing at a wooden table and seemed to be humming. Upon approaching her, I saw with surprise a cat sitting on the table.

"Um...Hello... I'm sorry to intrude, but my family is very sick and I need medicine before they get worse. They have fevers and they've been coughing and my brothers thinks he's an earth bender and-"

"Calm down dear," the lady said, turning and smiling at me with her wrinkly face. "Your family is going to be fine." She then turned back to the bowl and threw another ingredient in. The white cat meowed and hopped off the table coming over to me. Picking it up, I felt it purr as I pet it softly on the head. "I've been up here for over forty years you know, use to be others, but they left years ago. Now it's just me and Miyuki."

The cat in my arms meowed, and I set her down watching as she ran back to her owner and hopped back on the table. "That's nice," I said, unsure of where she was going with all of this.

"Wounded Earth Kingdom troops still come by now and again, brave boys, and thanks to my remedies they always leave in better shape than they were when they arrived," she continued, placing the bowl down and beginning to walk over to her plants.

Looking at her in surprise, I said, "They actually climb all the way up here for treatment?"

The woman continued to search through the herbs and plants. "Yes. It's a tiring journey for them, but they always say it was worth it in the end."

After a moment of silence, I finally asked, "So do you have anything for my family?"

The woman smiled. "Patience child. Let me finish this and then I will give you all the help you need."

Sighing, I turned and walked over to Miyuki who was sitting on the table wagging her tail. Brushing my hand through her fur, I felt her purr and rub her head against my arm. For what seemed like an hour I pet Miyuki, and she seemed to enjoy the attention.

Then finally the woman walked over to us saying, "All finished. Here you go Miyuki." She placed the bowl in front of my new feline friend, who immediately began to chow down on her herbal meal. "Now, about your friends..." She said, turning back to me. "All you need is frozen wood frogs. There's plenty of them down in the valley swamp."

"What am I suppose to do with frozen frogs?" I asked, completely bewildered.

The woman smiled widely. "Why suck on them of course!"

Immediately I wanted to gag in my mouth. "That's a joke right?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Do I look like I'm joking?"

Tensing, I said, "No mam... I've just never heard of something like that... Ever."

She chuckled. "Well it works. The frogs skin excretes a substance that will cure your family, but make sure you get plenty. Once those little critters thaw out their useless."

Great. Another challenge to look forward to.

"Well, thank you for your help!" I said, then immediately I turned and ran.

"Good luck!" The woman called, and I heard her turn back and talk to Miyuki as I ran outside into the pouring rain. The wind had picked up now, and I gasped as I almost blew over from the impact. Pulling my backpack closer to me, I began to push myself toward the steps that had helped me climb up the mountain. Just as I reached them, I gasped when I heard something whiz past my face. Turning to see what it was, I saw with horror it was an arrow that had now lodged in the ground a few paces away. Where the spirits did that come from?

Turning, I stared at the trees nearby and my eyes widened in terror. There was a man sitting on one of the branches, and he had an arrow pointed at me. As the arrow shot toward me, I shot a flame at it watching as it turned to ash, then I took off running toward the steps.

From the side of my eyes I could see the archer was not alone, and in no time the five men were running behind me trying to shoot arrows at me. The wind was on my side this time, because every time they tried to shoot they always missed by an inch or two. Eventually I reached the steps and decided going the other way was probably better and faster.

Veering away from the steps, I slid down the muddy mountain side using trees and bushes to dodge flying arrows. Many times during my flee I began to roll uncontrollably, and I had to catch myself by finding something to grab. When I reached a flat area, I took a moment to catch my breath and look back. From above I could see the archer men using some type of rope to swing from tree to tree to get closer to me.

Why were these men chasing me?

Taking off once more down the mountain, I felt my muscles burn and my ankles cry out in pain. Shrieking as another arrow shot past, I stumbled from tripping over a rock and began once more to tumble down the mountain.

Somehow I made it down alive, and though I was bruised up and had scratches all over my legs and arms, I was in one piece. Running through the forest, I felt my breathing become hard as exhaustion began to take me over. This was probably the most I'd run my whole life.

More arrows appeared, a few of them coming close to hitting me but missing every time. The wind was probably the cause, and for that I thanked the storm that was pounding me with rain. Eventually I arrived at a swampy area, and my eyes widened when I saw something sitting on a log.

"Frog!" I cried, running forward and splashing into the dark water that could've been inhabited by anything. Looking around, I saw with relief the archers were no where to be seen. Maybe I'd lost them in the forest?

Reaching down I went to grab the frozen frog, and as I picked it up in my hand I watched with terror as an arrow shot out of no where hitting the frog and sending it flying. Turning in shock, I saw the archers had surrounded me in the trees and were pointing their arrows in my direction.

Crap. Now I had to fight. Which would be really hard because my hair was clinging to my face, my dark blue skirt weighed a ton, and my soaked shirt felt tight and constricting against my body.

Arrows shot toward me suddenly, and I gasped twisting in a circle creating a wave of fire that surrounded me. The arrows recently fired turned to ash, and I lost my control letting my flames die. My body was having a tough time even creating a flame, so I couldn't keep my wall of fire alive. Roku, please give me strength.

"What do you want from me?!" I ordered, creating another flame in my hand.

The archers didn't respond, and I watched with horror as they raised their bows once again. Crap... I was in no way getting out of this. As the arrows were released, and I made one last feeble attempt to destroy them with another wall of fire, I felt one slice through my skirt pinning it to the ground under the swampy water.

With a gasp, I tried to pull it from the mud beneath the sitting liquid, but another arrow fired at me hitting my shoulder and sending me crashing backward into the swamp. Crying out in pain, I tried to pry the arrow from my skin and was relieved to find it hadn't caused major damage.

The archers were suddenly beside me, and I tried to stand to run again. One archer with a scar on his brow, grabbed me before I could and shoved me down. Then he pushed my face into the swampy water, and I struggled feeling as my lungs began to ache from lack of air. After what seemed like forever of holding my breath, I saw black dots begin to cloud my vision, and I let my struggles cease.

The archer pulled me out when he saw I had given up, and as soon as my face broke the surface I coughed and spluttered for air. "That should do it. Tie her up," a gruff voice ordered. Then I felt rope wrap around my wrists and I did the only thing I could do. I slumped over in defeat.

**Zuko POV**

Sitting in my quarters, I lied back on my cot and stared up at the ceiling aggravated. Zhao had pretty much imprisoned me in this small passage of water, so I was stuck here until he gave the okay for us to go. There was no telling how far the Avatar was getting from me. It was probably Zhao's plan all along keeping me here so he could get a lead on that boy.

Closing my eyes, I tried to think of something other than the avatar, so I thought about Amber. Was she okay? Last time I saw her was with the pirates, and even then she looked so lost and confused. Deep down, I hoped she was alright. She was my little sister, no matter how much she didn't agree.

A knock on my door sounded, and I growled causing the flames from my candle to increase. Standing from my cot, I opened my door with a glare. "What?" I snapped, opening it to find one of my uncles soldiers on the other side of the door.

He seemed somewhat nervous as he said, "Sir, we just received orders from Admiral Zhao's men that we're free to go."

"What! What changed?" I asked in surprise. This was very odd, especially for Admiral Zhao.

The soldier came out of his bow. "They said the Admiral acquired what he was searching for and we were no longer a threat."

My eyes widened, and my body went stiff. No... Zhao had captured the Avatar! How?

Trying to remain composed, I said, "Very well. Tell the captain to get out of this passage and drop anchor near shore."

The soldier bowed once more and then left. Turning, I reentered my room and shut the door behind.

So Zhao had the Avatar. My honor was being taken from me by this man I greatly despised. Walking over to a wooden chest beside my cot, I opened it and pulled out what I was looking for. The blue mask with painted fangs leered at me as I held it in my hands.

I'd stop Zhao. He wouldn't get away with taking what was rightfully mine.

**Amber POV**

They dragged my limp body through the forest for miles. My feet dragged across the ground, and the five archers around me constantly snapped at me for not walking. There was no way I was walking for these men though.

Half way through our journey, one of the archers decided I didn't weigh enough to be a burden, and so he threw my bound body over his shoulder. As they continued on, I winced from the way his shoulder dug into my stomach. When this was over my biggest bruise would be from this rough guy carrying me.

"Who are you people?" I asked weakly, my eyes wide with fear at the thought of what they'd do to me. They clearly were not my friends since they'd just shot an arrow into my shoulder. None of them responded to me though, and I sighed deciding I wouldn't get any answers.

Eventually the man carrying me forced me back on my feet, and for that I was relieved. He was treating me more like a sack than a human being. Scar brow man took my forearm then and began to pull me along, and this time I followed not exactly having a choice. Then my eyes widened at what I saw.

As we crossed a wooden bridge, I stared up at a massive fortress with a steel fence surrounding it. It was almost like a prison, and I wondered if it really was a prison. As we got closer I could see fire nation symbols hanging along the enormous wall and dread filled inside me. This sucked. This really sucked.

Trying to pull from the man yanking me along, I worked on setting fire to my hands to burn my rope. There was no way I was going in that place. They'd have to drag me kicking and screaming.

Going to fire bend, I immediately saw the archer who had carried me earlier turn and point another arrow at me. Stopping, I backed away slightly only to have another archer shove me forward. Feeling once again defeated, I hung my head in despair. So much for kicking and screaming.

They were once again shoving me, and this time we were pacing through the steel gates of the massive fortress. "I guess I should feel honored, being taken to such a secure prison," I spat, looking around at all the guards and soldiers in the large yard of the prison.

A loud crash sounded, and I turned me head in horror to see the gate we had just past through was now closed and locked. Crap. Now the only way out was over the giant wall.

Sighing, I turned and looked over at the sun behind the clouds as they pushed me along. The small orb appeared to be starting to set. I prayed Aang really wouldn't look for me like he said, because I didn't want him getting hurt.

"Well, well... What a pleasant surprise," a cold voice said a few paces ahead, and I felt my blood run cold.

Looking up in terror, I saw with wide eyes Zhao standing in front of me. He was grinning like a mad man, and his gold eyes pierced through my soul. Walking up to me, I shrunk back only to have the archers pull me forward again. When Zhao was in front of me, he grabbed my chin hard with his rough hand.

"You've grown even more since the last time I saw you. Lady Ursa is becoming more and more evident in your features every day," he whispered in my ear.

"Are you trying to flatter me? Because it's not working," I spat, jerking my chin from his hand.

Zhao smirked. "You've gotten more of a gut Princess. I like the new fire in you."

"No... I just remember everything you did to me and want to see you suffer the way I did," I snapped, clenching my hands into fists.

He chuckled, then took a lock of my long black hair into his hand. "Your attitude will get you into trouble. You better hold that tongue of yours before I burn it," he hissed, then released my hair.

Immediately I held back what I wanted to say next. A burned tongue wouldn't feel good at all.

"Take her to the prison cell. I'll interrogate her in a moment," Zhao ordered the archer behind me. Then he looked back at me with a grin. "See you in a moment, Princess."

Glaring with pure hate, I watched as the terrible man walked off. The archer behind me gave me a rough shove and I was being forced into the enormous building that I feared would have no escape. Walking through the dimly lit steel hallways of the massive structure, I wondered why Zhao hadn't killed me. What was he planning to do? Was he going to question me about Aang... Torture the avatars whereabouts out of me? Shivers went up and down my spine at the very thought.

The archer shoved me up a few flights of stairs, down some more hallways, and finally into a room that had a door with a very big lock on the outside. Shoving me through the doorway, I was terrified to see a room with chains everywhere. A seat stood in the center of this large spaced room, and on it's arms and legs were shackles.

At once I let out a gasp and began to struggle once more in the archers grasp. He had more strength than I ever would, and easily shoved me into the chair. As he tried to put the cuffs around my now untied wrists, I screamed and kicked at him. He was able to strap them both down, and then he moved to my ankles locking them to the legs of the chair.

I was stuck then, and as hard as I tried to break my prison I knew it was useless. I was trapped for good.

The archer turned and left, and then I was alone. The room was cold, and the dim light from the torches made the room dark and creepy. Struggling some more, I understood that the only thing keeping me fighting was adrenaline. Once that wore out, I'd completely crash.

It seemed like forever- but was only a few minutes- when Zhao entered the place that was now my prison. He slowly approached, and I saw him smirk when he saw the hate in my eyes. "Princess Amber... Last time I had you chained up, you were a scrawny runt who always whined about mommy."

"I was six," I snapped, my hands beginning to heat with fury. "And you were going to kill me. I feel like I had every right to want my mommy!"

Zhao chuckled. "Yes... I suppose so."

"So what now," I hissed. "Are you going to execute me? Throw me off the mountain? Burn me to death?"

"They all sound so tempting," he said, walking up to me so he was towering over my seated frame. "However I have something even better planned for you."

Staring at him, I could hear my heart pound hard in my chest. What could be better than throwing me off a mountain?

"I'm going to keep you here until your Avatar friend comes to save you... Then when I have the both of you, you and the avatar will be taking a trip to see your father. He knows your alive, and he wants to see you," Zhao said, his words causing my blood to go cold.

My dad knew I was alive? He wanted to see me? Oh crap! He'd skin me alive.

"Why?" I spat. "So he can finish me off?"

"Of course not," he said, amusement glistening in his cold gold eyes. "He wants to meet the girl who he thought to be dead. Frankly I was beyond surprised to find you alive. My men weren't very truthful to me about the water tribe killing you."

Smirking, I said, "Maybe you're men didn't agree with what you and dad were doing to me."

Zhao smirked. "No. The soldiers these days are just cowards. It's hard to find one with an ounce of loyalty left." He then stepped up to me and grabbed my chin hard. "Like your uncle Iroh. He stopped fighting in Ba Sing Sei because he felt it was 'wrong'. He's the biggest coward out of all of them," Zhao hissed.

"Don't talk about him like that," I snapped, wanting to defend the man that had protected me from my fathers wrath so many years ago.

Zhao only got closer to my face. "Aw, how sweet. You care for the old man."

"Of course I do! He's my uncle!"

He chuckled. "Yes. I guess so." Then he yanked his hand away from my chin and I winced from how sore it felt.

The door to the room opened suddenly, and an older man probably around fifty entered. "Sir. Commander Shinu has requested a meeting with you at once. He says it's important."

Zhao sighed, then looked at me with sudden fire in his eyes. "Very well. I'll be there in a moment." The man whom I assumed was a guard by his uniform, bowed and left the giant prison. Zhao then turned back to me. "Looks like we have to cut this meeting short Princess."

"What a shame," I muttered, earning a hard look from the man that looked like he had something up his sleeve.

"You better watch your tongue girl, or I'll burn it off!" he snapped.

"You said that earlier," I snapped. "If you were going to you would've by now."

Zhao smirked. "I suppose your right. Burning your tongue would be way too cruel on a girl like you. So instead let's go back to the old days."

He suddenly lit a flame, and I stared at the hot source in his hand with terror. Maybe I should just let him burn my tongue. Zhao smirked. "Welcome back my pretty little prisoner." Then he thrust his fist forward and grabbed my arm. The fire burned into my skin, causing me to shriek in agony. After a second of holding the knife stabbing fire to my skin, he pulled away and I slumped over in my chair gritting my teeth.

"What! No tears today?" Zhao hissed, noticing that I was holding back the tears of pain that wanted to flow. "Maybe you aren't the little girl you once were. Maybe you have developed a back bone."

"Or maybe," I gasped out, trying to keep from crying out from the stabbing in my arm. "Maybe I'm just tired of crying."

He slapped me then, but I couldn't feel it. All I felt was the fire surging from my new wound. Fire was so not my friend these days.

Sitting back in my chair, I closed my eyes as sweat trailed down my forehead. If I tried not to think about the burn, then the pain would hopefully decrease.

"I'll be back so we can relive the good days. Sit tight while I'm gone," he hissed. Then he turned and left. Left me to suffer in this agonizing constant pain I felt radiate from my forearm down.

After a while, I closed my eyes and let my dreams take me away from the pain.

_The door to my cell opened, and a young navy soldier probably twenty walked into the room. He held in his hand a cup of water and a small piece of bread. His name was Chey, and he had just started out in the military. He told my six year old self about how he wanted to work with explosives in the future, and how he wanted to prove himself to everyone. He was the only soldier on board who was kind to me- though he wasn't the only one that knew what they were doing was wrong._

"_Captain Zhao had to leave suddenly. Something happened with a naval vessel a few miles away and he had to go investigate. He ordered us to continue to the South Pole, get the job done, and then return home," Chey said, sitting across from my chained and battered form._

"_You're gonna kill me," I whispered, tears falling down my cheeks as I held my knees close to my chest._

_The brown haired young man with gray eyes frowned, then held the bread and water out to me. "I'm trying to find a way to stop this, but I'm just a rookie. The only reason they even let me see you is because I'm just the food boy. If there was anyway to change anyone's mind, then I'd do it."_

"_How much longer?" I asked, taking the bread with a shaky burned hand. _

_Chey answered with a heavy heart, "We'll be there tomorrow."_

_A sob escaped me, and I looked at the bread in my hand no longer feeling hungry. Dropping it to the floor, I pressed my face into the torn fabric of my skirt and sobbed. It wasn't fair. I was just a kid. I hadn't even gotten to start fire nation school yet. Why was daddy doing this to me?_

"_I'm scared... I don't want to die," I cried into my knees. I just wanted to go home._

_Chey placed a hand on my shoulder, saying, "I wish I knew what to do. There has to be something I can do to help." He then looked off into a distant place in his mind, trying to come up with some way to save me._

_Eventually he came up with nothing, and then he left me with a regretful glance. That night, as I sat in my cold cell, I tried hard not to think about dying. The idea of drowning in that icy cold water though kept causing me to burst into tears. What would it feel like to die? If I died would I go to the spirit world? If I died would mommy and Zuko miss me?_

_Closing my eyes, I spent my last night of life thinking about my family and all the good times we had together. When it was morning, I watched with dread as three soldiers entered into my cell. None of them were Chey, and I wondered where he had gone._

_The three soldiers all held faces of regret, and I looked at them all with pleading eyes. Please don't kill me, I wanted to say. The words didn't escape my dry mouth however._

"_It's time," one of the soldiers said, holding a key in his hand. Tears came to my eyes once more, and I whimpered as he took the chains off my hands and feet. Then I was yanked off the floor, and two soldiers began to force my small figure through the ships many halls, up some steps, and into the bright morning air._

_It had been a few weeks since I'd last seen the sunlight, and even now it was behind some gray clouds. The weather was sad too as I was about to die. "Let's get this over with," the soldier to the right of me muttered, then began to tie my hands behind my back. They also placed a gag in my mouth to probably make it harder to hold my breath once they threw me overboard. Cries began to pour from me and I felt my heart pound like a fast drum. _

"_I can't believe we're doing this," the soldier to the left of me said. "She's just a kid. It doesn't feel right."_

_The first soldier nodded. "I know, but we don't have a choice. This is the only way we can express our loyalty to the fire lord."_

"_Wait! Don't do it!" Chey's voice suddenly cried, and we all turned to see him run through the soldiers watching us. "She doesn't deserve to die!"_

_The second soldier who had spoken, loosened his grip on my severed arm slightly. "I know that," he snapped. "But an orders an order."_

_Looking behind Chey, I saw the other soldiers looked as if none of them wanted to be here. Was it because they too didn't agree with my fathers wishes?_

"_Stand back soldier," the first guy said to Chey. "Let us do our job." Then I was shoved forward toward the railing of the ship, and I began to notice the icy water below. My six year old self turned ten times more paler than usual. If they threw me in, I'd surely die from the cold water alone._

"_No! This isn't right!" Chey cried, as the two soldiers began to lift me off the deck. Just as they were about to throw my sobbing and struggling body overboard, we suddenly felt something hard slam into the boat. _

_That's when chaos broke out. _

_As water tribe men jumped on board, I watched with amazement as the men dodged fire and spears using weapons of their own. Once or twice I even saw a few men water bend._

"_Chey! Take the girl and hide her! We'll finish this after we take care of these savage men," soldier number two ordered. Both the soldiers had placed me down, and now Chey was running over to me taking my forearm. As the two soldiers ran to fight, Chey pulled me out of harms way behind some barrels underneath a steel overhang that blocked the rain._

"_Stay here. I'll try and lead one of them over here. Maybe if they see you they'll save you," Chey said. Then he jumped up and ran into the battle. Sitting by the barrels, I curled up into a ball once more. It was cold, and it didn't help with the fact that I knew I was about to die after this battle came to it's end._

_As I thought this, a stream of water shot above me and hit one of the pipes that traveled along the steel over hang. The pipe came down with one hit. The last thing I remember was a sharp pain in my skull. Then darkness took me over and I knew no more._

**Zuko POV**

This fortress Zhao had taken the Avatar to was huge. It had a wall surrounding the whole yard of the prison, and there were soldiers everywhere. To get in I had to ride underneath a wagon, and that took forever. Then I had to crawl through tight dirty vents. The Avatar was so worth the effort though.

Tightening the grip of my swords, I stared at the unconscious soldiers around me. They had been guarding a very large door, and I had a strong feeling it was the door that led to the Avatar. Straightening the blue mask on my face, I took a few steps forward and then opened the door.

Entering the room, I expected to find the avatar chained up and trying to escape his binds. To my utter terror though, I saw my sister chained to a chair, a very nasty burn mark on her right forearm and blood dripping from her right shoulder. She was unconscious, and she looked to be in terrible pain.

Walking over to her, I saw just how awful she really looked. Her skin was paler than I remembered, and her hair and body was filthy as if she'd rolled down a mountain. There were bruises all over her body as well, and immediately I felt outraged. Zhao had crossed the line this time, and he'd pay.

Softly, I placed my gloved hand against her cold cheek. As I made contact with her, she awoke startled and looked at me with terror. Her mouth went to scream, but I placed my hand over her lips to stop her. If she screamed there's no telling what would happen.

She stared at me, her gold eyes filled with shock, then turning into curiosity. Holding a finger to my lips, I saw her nod with understanding. Pulling away, I took my sword up and noticed her flinch. As I brought the blade on her cuffs, and managed to break her free, I noticed how weak and tired she looked.

"I have to get to the others," she began to mutter. "I need a cure."

A cure? A cure for what?

Sighing, I carefully lifted her out of the chair. She still seemed out of it, but she was able to walk, so with my help we managed to leave the room and walk into the hall.

**Amber POV**

My body hurt so bad, but I knew I couldn't complain. This stranger was helping me the best he could, and though I had no clue why, I truly appreciated it. Whoever was under this blue mask with fangs was my hero.

The darkly dressed thief led me through the halls, toward an open vent. I knew this was going to hurt like crazy, but I couldn't slow down. This blue masked man was here to save me, and I didn't want to seem like his effort was wasted.

As he climbed into the vent, I followed, trying my best not to crawl with my bad arm. It took longer with only one hand actually pulling me along, but some how we both managed to crawl out of the vents into a drain like area.

Looking up above through the drain opening, we could hear soldiers walking back and forth. The masked guy pulled himself up slightly to see if the cost was clear, then when it was he pulled himself over. Turning back around, he held out a hand for me to grab and I reached up with my good side taking it.

After he managed to yank me up easily, and then made sure I was okay, we took off toward the giant wall of the fortress. For a moment I thought we'd be able to escape undetected, but then I heard it. Zhao's voice boomed across the enormous fortress, "She's escaped! Find her!"

Immediately we watched as soldiers ran around searching for us. My savior pulled me back behind some barrels, and we watched with terror as the soldiers got closer to our hiding spot. "What now?" I asked, dread filling inside me. If we had to fight, then there was no way I could help.

The guy (or girl- but I was pretty sure it was a guy) looked around searching for something. Then he saw what he was looking for and pointed. A ladder went up the large steel wall, and I knew exactly what he was planning. The only problem was climbing a ladder was a lot easier when using both hands.

Not wanting to sound like a baby though, I said, "I'm right behind you." We both went along the walls, trying to hide in the shadows from Zhao's men. Then when we got to the wooden ladder, we began to climb up it. The guy made me go up first, and as I tried to pull myself up I winced as sharp pains shot through my arm.

Just as we were halfway up, I heard someone shout, "I see them! Over on the wall!"

At once I tried to climb faster, but to my terror I saw a soldier above with a flame lit in his hand. "Crap!" I shouted. At once the man shot fire down the ladder, and I closed my eyes bracing myself for the pain.

Something hard hit into me, and I gasped opening my eyes in surprise. "I knew letting you go alone was stupid!" Aang said, holding onto my waist as he flew us down to the ground. We landed with a thud and I looked over to see the masked man had jumped in enough time and was beside us.

"When you didn't come back Katara begged me to go look for you. Now I find you and you're in danger again!" Aang said placing me down.

At once I felt again that I was a failure. Why couldn't I do anything right?

"I'm sorry," I whispered, hanging my head with guilt.

Aang sighed. "It's okay. At least your okay."

"Really? Because I'm pretty sure that none of you are okay," Zhao hissed, and we all turned in terror to see he was approaching, a bunch of soldiers following with him. "Now I have you avatar. The fire lord will be so pleased when I bring him you, Amber, and this thief."

The "thief" unsheathed his cross swords and suddenly Aang and I were both being held against his body with blades to our necks. Gasping, I felt my blood go cold. What was going on? Why was my rescuer holding a sword to my throat?

Zhao backed up in shock, while his men lit flames as if to fire. "No! They must be captured alive," Zhao snapped, telling his men to hold their fire. His men extinguished their flames.

The blade suddenly pressed closer to my throat, and I whimpered unsure if this thief would really kill me. I didn't see why he would though. He just saved me.

Zhao stared at Aang and I, our throats about to be sliced, and then glared at the mysterious man with pure hate. "Open the gate! Let them out!"

My eyes widened. So that's why he was doing this. He was getting us to freedom. This guy was really smart. As we began to back out of the fortress, I saw Zhao look at me with a look saying, 'This isn't over'.

After passing through the gates, across the bridge, and getting closer to the forest, I felt the masked man loosen his grip on both Aang and I. Now I understood. He was using us to get out of the large prison. It was pretty smart I had to admit.

When we were far enough, I saw something flying toward us at a fast distance. Using my good hand, I shoved the masked man and Aang out of the line of fire and the arrow missed us all by an inch. Aang immediately jumped up and used the water from below the bridge to create a fog so Zhao wouldn't see which way we ran. Then the three of us darted into the forest getting to safety.

When we were a good two miles from the prison, we all plopped down on a fallen log out of breath. Eventually we all got our breath back but the guy in the mask seemed to be tense. As Aang tore a piece of my shirt to tie around my shoulder still bloody shoulder, I watched as the masked man began to leave.

"Wait... Don't go," I said, though I wasn't sure why I wanted him to stay so much. "I haven't been able to properly thank you."

The guy in the mask turned and looked at me, then after a moment he sighed and took his mask off. To both Aang and I's surprise it was Zuko. My brother stared at me with tired but relieved gold eyes. "Don't thank me. I'm just glad your safe," he whispered.

Aang and I were still surprised by who my savior was. "Wait... Zuko... You actually did something nice?" Aang said, bewildered by this whole new person in front of him.

My brother shot the avatar a glare, then said, "Don't think that it's over avatar. I'm only letting you go this time because I'm too tired to fight you. Next time I'll be sure to capture you and take back my sister once and for all."

Frowning at my brothers determination, I said, "Zuko... Don't go... You can come with us instead. Help us fight for what's right."

Zuko touched his scar for a brief moment, then the doubt and uncertainty in his eyes clouded over. Instead he said softly, "I have to go." Then pointing his sword at Aang, he spat, "I'll be seeing you again Avatar!"

As he began to leave, I ran forward going to stop him. "Zuko! Please," I cried.

My brother looked at me for a moment, then turned away. "Take care of her avatar." Then he ran away, and I watched him go with a pain in my heart.

"Amber... We have to go before Zhao sends his men looking for us," Aang said, pulling on my good arm. Staring at the spot that Zuko had once been, I nodded slowly.

"Okay," I whispered. We then began to make our way back toward the ruins. As we walked, I stared down at the burn on my arm. The skin was blistered and bright red, and I winced as a breeze hit it making it sting.

Aang noticed my discomfort, saying that as soon as we got back to the ruins we'd find something to help with the pain. Nodding, I followed Aang silently as we headed back toward the swamp. After we retrieved a few frozen frogs for Sokka and Katara, I noticed my bag from earlier sitting in the mud. I'd forgotten I'd set it down when I was trying to get the frogs earlier.

Grabbing it, we stuffed a few frozen frogs inside and then then began to head back to my siblings. As we got closer, I noticed the sun was beginning to rise. That meant that I would have to sleep the whole day away probably.

"Hey Aang," I tiredly said as we came in view of the city ruins. "Can you do me a favor?"

He looked at me with question. "Can you not tell Sokka and Katara about any of this? I don't want them to worry."

"That might be hard, Amber. You have a bloody shoulder and an extreme burn on your arm. I'm sure your family will notice," Aang said.

Sighing, I pressed my hand against my shoulder where my bandage was damp from blood. "I'll hide it from them the best I can. If Katara finds out this happened, she'll probably freak out and demand we see a doctor. It will throw us off course and I just want to get to the north pole as fast as we can," I said.

Aang sighed, then muttered, "Fine. I won't tell. Just do something about that burn. I don't want you dying from infection."

When we got back to Katara and Sokka, I handed all the frogs to Aang and then made my way over to Appa. Climbing up his tail and onto his saddle, I grabbed my bag and pulled some of the ointment I was given weeks ago out. Then putting it over my burn, I sighed as the cream soothed the pain.

As my siblings suddenly shouted when they realized frogs were placed into their mouths, I grabbed one of the cloaks we had and put it around me to hide my arms. Then I grabbed one of the bags to use it as a pillow, lied down on my good side, and got the rest I deserved.

**Zuko POV**

Walking across the deck of my ship, I felt exhausted. Uncle sat on a chair playing his sumki horn oblivious to me ever being gone. "Where have you been, Prince Zuko. You missed music night! Lieutenant Jee sang a stirring love song."

"I'm going to bed. No disturbances," I ordered, then walked down below deck. Heading toward my quarters, I pressed my hand to my scar. _Help us fight for what's right, _Amber's voice rang through my head. _Zuko... Please!_

Getting into my room, I plopped down on my cot and buried my head into my pillow. Amber's words kept shooting through my mind, and I began to regret walking away. I'd left my injured sister in the forest. Some brother I was.

Rolling over, I sighed and closed my eyes. When I captured the Avatar and got my sister back, I'd be the best brother Amber could ever wish for. Now all I needed to do was actually get the avatar.


	14. Fortune

Sitting by a pond, I watched with a smirk as Sokka wrestled with a giant white fish. "He's taunting me," Sokka cried, just as the fish slapped him in the face with his tail. Katara laughed while Aang continued to work on something. Glancing over his shoulder I saw with a smirk that he was making a necklace.

Our little Avatar had a crush on my sister. It was so sweet.

"Here Katara, look what I made for you," Aang finally said as Sokka continued to wrestle in the water. He held up a necklace made out of fishing line with a flower attached to it.

Katara looked at the necklace with shining eyes. "Thanks Aang. I love it," she said, taking it. Aang blushed and I smiled to myself.

"Maybe after we defeat my father, you can spend your free time making jewelry," I joked.

Aang weakly smiled, then looked back at Katara who had put the necklace back on. "So, how do I look?" she asked.

Aang's eyes widened when he saw her, and I tightened my lips to keep from laughing. Aang had fallen for my little sister. The Avatar would probably be my brother-in-law in the future. That would be interesting.

"You mean all of you, or just your neck? I mean, uh, both look great," Aang answered flustered.

I covered my face trying to hide my amusement. Sokka couldn't hold in his own though, and I watched as he held the struggling face and made a kissy face toward it. "Smoochie, smoochie, smoochie, someones in love," he said, then the fish jumped out of his arms and hit him in the face again, causing me to burst out laughing.

It felt good to laugh.

Sokka got out of the water glaring at me, while Katara said, "Stop teasing him Sokka... Aang's just a good friend. A sweet little guy like Momo." Momo climbed up on her shoulder and licked her on the cheek, while Aang looked disappointed and frowned. I frowned too. Poor kid.

As Katara examined the necklace, and Sokka ringed out his clothing, I looked at Aang. "Don't worry Aang. Katara's a little stubborn sometimes. Just give her time."

He looked at me and smiled weakly, "Thanks Amber."

Nodding, I pressed my hand against my arm which was under the cloak I was wearing and looked back at the pond. Aang noticed when I winced in discomfort.

"It's still hurting? It's been two weeks Amber," he whispered, low enough for only me to hear. "You really need to get it looked at. It could be infected."

Looking away, I said, "It's fine Aang. It's not hurting terribly, I just can't move it that well. My shoulder's healed pretty well, but I think the arrow hit one of my muscles. Let's just give it another week."

"Give what another week?" Katara suddenly asked, walking back over to us with confusion.

Aang immediately came up with an answer. "Oh... Nothing. I was just telling Amber that I hoped we'd reach the water tribe soon, and she said she'd give it another week."

Sokka laughed. "Right. It will probably take us three more weeks to reach the water tribe at the rate were going."

Katara eyed Aang and I suspiciously, and we smiled at her innocently. She then shrugged and walked off, allowing Aang and I to sigh in relief. Sokka caught this, because he stood and towered over us as we sat on the ground.

"You two have been hiding something ever since Katara and I were sick. Whats going on with you guys?" he asked.

Aang jumped up saying, "Nothing. Just getting excited about the North Pole is all." Then he turned and walked over to Appa to hide the guilt in his eyes. Aang had been trying to hard to keep his promise to me. I'd asked him not to tell Sokka and Katara about my injuries, and so far he'd kept his word.

"Amber..." Sokka began, but I stood and smiled.

"Don't worry Sokka. Everything's fine," I said, but my words weren't true. It wasn't exactly fine. Ever since my injury I couldn't lift my screwed up arm. This meant that I was having trouble firebending with it too.

"Yeah... Sure," he muttered, watching as I walked away from him.

A few moments later, after we all were starting to pack up and head on out, we heard the sound of a ferocious growl in the distance. "What in the world was that?" I asked, tossing my sleeping bag up to Sokka with my good arm.

"No clue. Let's go check it out," Katara said, then her and Aang ran off.

"Yeah. That makes perfect sense! Head toward the ferocious animal," I yelled after them, unable to believe how foolish they were.

Sokka slid down Appa. "Come on. We better follow them."

We followed the path they'd taken through the woods. Appa followed behind and eventually we all arrived at the scene. There was an old man with a long mustache, and he calmly dodged the sharp claws of a platypus bear who looked ready to kill.

"Are you insane?!" I shouted. "Don't just stand there!"

The man calmly replied. "It's alright miss. I'll be fine." He dodged another whack from the bear.

Aang cried, "Make noise! It will run off!"

Sokka cried, "No! Play dead, he'll lose interest!"

Katara cried, "Run down hill, then climb up a tree!"

The man dodged the bears platypus tail as it tried to whack him. "No need. It's going to be fine."

Slapping my forehead, I shouted, "No it isn't! Stop being a fool and get out of there!"

Aang jumped from where we stood a few yards away, and landed between the eight foot animal and eighty year old man. "Whoa there," he said to the bear. The bear roared loudly and got ready to attack Aang. Appa had somehow managed to get over there without me even noticing, and he growled loudly at the beast.

The Platypus bear laid an egg and then ran off to the river, walking in and swimming off quickly. "Yeah! Wait to go Appa!" I cried, running down the small hill to get closer to Aang and the man. Katara and Sokka followed.

"Mmm. Lunch!" Sokka cried, picking up the laid egg.

Rolling my eyes, I looked at the man annoyed. "Lucky we came along," I muttered bitterly. This guy was stupid, just standing there.

He only smiled. "Thanks, but everything was already under control. Not to worry, Aunt Wu predicted I'd have a safe journey."

Scoffing, I muttered under my breath, "Great. A phony fortune teller."

As the man went on to explain how she'd read his future and told us a bunch of bull, I walked over to Appa and leaned against his furry body. Staring out toward the river, I thought about my brother Zuko. Was he okay? I hoped he hadn't gotten in any trouble since the whole Zhao thing. Sighing, I looked down at the gold bracelet on my good arms wrist. If I told Zuko about our great grandfather, then would he join our side?

"Amber... Come on. There's a village nearby that we can stop and rest at," Katara said, walking over to me with a smile. "And there's a fortune teller there!"

Sighing, I followed her and the others as we began to head to the earth kingdom village where the phony fortuneteller lived. There was no way I was having my fortune read.

When we got to the village, Sokka said we should probably get some supplies first before we met this fortune lady. As they went to do this, Aang stopped me pulling me aside. "There's a doctor over there," Aang said, pointing to a building. "Please stop being an idiot." He obviously was trying to hint to me to go get some help for my arm.

Rolling my eyes, I said, "Fine. Tell Katara and Sokka I went to go check something out." He nodded, then watched as I walked off.

Might as well see the doctor, just to ease Aang's worries.

The doctor of the village was a kind old woman who knew a lot about herbs and medicine. She scolded me hard on not getting medical treatment for my stabbed shoulder and burn. In the end though, she said that my arm was healing nicely and I just needed to exercise my muscles. "Well thanks for your help," I said, then stood to leave the small home of this kind lady.

"It's going to leave a terrible scar by the way," the woman said.

Turning, I smiled weakly, "I'm use to it. Thanks." Turning, I left the building clutching my arm. Great. Another scar to add to my past.

When I found my family a few moments later, I saw them heading toward the front of the village where the fortunetellers place was. "Hey guys," I said, catching up to them.

Aang looked over at me with question, and I nodded at him letting him know everything was okay. "Come on Amber! Were going to get our fortunes read," Katara exclaimed excitedly. Nodding, I followed them inside the building where a young girl probably eleven greeted us.

"My names Meng. I'm Aunt Wu's assistant," she introduced, her brown hair in pigtails that seemed to go up instead of down.

"Tell me Meng," I began. "Is this woman all she says she is?"

The girl glared at me. "Aunt Wu is the best fortune teller you'll ever meet!" Holding my hand up in defense, I shrugged and sat down on one of the pillows in the room. Sokka sat beside me looking as excited to be here as I did.

Meng suddenly noticed Aang and her eyes lit up. "Well hello there," she almost purred. I rolled my eyes.

Aang was oblivious to her crush on him. "Hello," he said, rubbing his nose.

"Can I get some tea, or some of Aunt Wu's special bean curd puffs?" she asked Aang, while I gagged at the name of that crappy sounding treat.

Sokka spoke up saying, "I'll try a curd puff."

The girl ignored him and turned back to Aang. "So what's your name?"

He's not interested! I practically wanted to scream it at her, but I knew that wouldn't be nice at all.

"Aang," he answered her.

"Hey! That rhymes with Meng! And you've got some pretty big ears don't you?" She exclaimed, making me roll my eyes. This chick sounded nuts.

As their whole conversation continued, I looked at Katara to see her reaction. She seemed more excited about Aunt Wu than anything else in this room. The sliding door I assumed Aunt Wu read fortunes behind, suddenly slid open and a young woman ran out.

"Oh Meng! Aunt Wu say's I'm going to meet my true love! He's going to give me a rare panda lily!" The woman exclaimed, grabbing Meng's shoulders in excitement.

Sighing, I thought in my head, _Aunt Wu probably heard from one of her previous customers that he liked this very woman and told him to take her a rare panda lily. This old woman is a serious con artist._

Just as I thought this, Meng and the young woman left the room, and a second later the very con artist entered the room, her white hair put up in a bun and her eyes looking at the four of us kindly. "Welcome young travelers," she said. "Now who's next? Don't be shy."

Katara immediately jumped up and followed Aunt Wu to the back of her shop. As she disappeared Meng came back placing some food in front of us, smiled brightly at Aang, and then ran off. Shaking my head in disbelief I reached out to take an apple slice from the tray she'd set in front of us.

"So... What do you think they're talking about, back there?" Aang asked, fiddling with his fingers anxiously.

Sokka shrugged, "Boring stuff I'm sure. Love. Who she's going to marry. How many babies she's gonna have."

Sighing, I ate my apple slice trying not to say anything that would sound mean. This whole thing was a scam, even if we weren't paying for it.

"Well, I've gotta find a bathroom," Aang said, then walked off. Watching him go, I rolled my eyes. He was probably going to eavesdrop on Katara's fortune.

"So Amber... Now that Katara's gone," Sokka suddenly said, "Let me see your arm."

It took me a second to process his words, and I looked at him at first in shock, then in terror. "How- how did you-"

He rolled his eyes. "I secretly followed you when you went to see the doctor. I know about your burn and shoulder. Why didn't you tell us?" He looked at me somewhat hurt.

Looking down ashamed, I said softly, "I didn't want to burden you all. It doesn't matter anyway. The doctor woman said it was healing pretty well."

"Let me see," he pretty much ordered, so I had no choice but to push my cloak sleeve aside and place my arm in his cool grasp. He looked at my burn with shock at how severe it really was. "Amber! How did this happen?"

Yanking from his hand, I said, "I fell in fire. You know how clumsy I am." I looked away from him hoping he wouldn't see through my lie.

"And the shoulder?" he asked, crossing his arms and looking annoyed.

Shrugging, I answered, "A stick stabbed into me when I was running."

Sokka slapped his forehead, then said, "That doesn't even make sense!"

Smirking, I said, "It's the best excuse I could come up with." He rolled his eyes and then started eating some bean puffs from the food tray to keep from yelling.

Aang came back then, and noticed my arm was out in view. He looked at me with question, then glanced at Sokka who glanced at him. "Wait! You knew?" Sokka shouted, seeing Aang hadn't seemed phased by the large burn on my arm.

Aang smiled sheepishly and shrugged.

"Don't yell at Aang. I told him not to tell you guys," I said, covering my arm back up. Sokka seemed to want to argue, but by that point Katara and Aunt Wu were back.

"Who's next?" she asked.

Sokka glanced over at me still not happy about my secret, then he stood. "Okay, let's get this over with."

Aunt Wu frowned at him. "Your future is full of struggle and anguish, most of it self inflicted."

"But you didn't read my palms or anything," Sokka complained. She answered, "I don't need to- it's written all over your face." Then she took Aang and led him out of the room, leaving me alone with my siblings.

Katara was beaming as she sat down beside me. "That woman is amazing! She told me I'd be married to a powerful bender!" When Katara said this, I wanted to laugh. I could've told her that.

"Hey Katara. You know how strange Amber and Aang have been acting-" Sokka began but I grabbed his shirt collar and shoved him backward making him fall to shut him up. He yelped when he hit the ground. Katara watched our whole exchange in surprise, then shrugged and sat down.

Sighing in relief, I shot Sokka a look when he sat back up and glared at me. "Don't tell her," I mouthed. He rolled his eyes and grabbed more food.

A few minutes later Aang came back, Aunt Wu following behind. Aang was beaming like crazy, and I assumed he had a good fortune read. Aunt Wu then looked at me. "Come on dear," she said, gesturing for me to follow.

Sighing, I followed her through the sliding doors into her reading room. She closed the doors behind, then led me over to two seats where she told me to sit. Grabbing a bowl of what seemed like fire ash, she sat in front of me and held the bowl out. "Grab some ash from the bowl and then hand it to me."

No matter how ridiculous I thought this was, I sighed and placed my hand into the ash. Grabbing some, I watched as she placed the bowl down and then took the ash from my hands. She then held it in a fist and closed her eyes concentrating.

Looking around, I wondered why she wouldn't just read my palm. "You have such a difficult past from what I see. Torn between two lives, two families. You will have to make many decisions in your life to-" She stopped suddenly, then her eyes widened in terror. Her mouth was frozen, and I saw her breathing stop.

My blood went cold. "What... What do you see?" I asked, suddenly starting to get a vibe that maybe this woman was what she said she was.

"You... I see agony... pain... blue fire... death..." She stopped talking and her eyes looked at me with terror. "You will die to save another."

My eyes shot open with horror, and I felt my body begin to shake. That was a lie. That had to be a lie. "You're lying," I snapped, standing with annoyance. "You're just saying that! I'm not going to die!"

The woman watched me with sad eyes. "I saw what I saw. This is all I can say. I'm sorry."

"No," I whispered. "No!"

Turning, I ran out of the room slamming the screen door shut on the way out. Without saying anything to my family, I shot out of the building and ran. Ran as fast as I could. My heart was beating faster than ever and I felt my breathing was hard. What if I do die? I don't want to die. She had to be lying.

Running to the wooden arch at the front of the village, I gasped for air as I clutched the wooden beams for support. I was going to die! This woman had to be lying!

"Amber!" Katara shouted, running over to me with worry. Aang and Sokka were right behind her. "What happened?"

Looking at them with trembling lips, I cried, "I knew this whole thing was a bad idea! Never believe in fortune tellers!"

"Why? What did she say?" Katara asked.

Looking at the ground with pain, I spat out, "She said I'm going to die!"

"Everyone's going to die, Amber," Sokka began, reaching to grab my good shoulder. "We all get old and die. She probably just meant you would die when you are old."

Yanking from him, I said, "No. I- I don't think so. She said I was going to die in order to save another."

"Amber. You're not going to die," Katara said, grabbing my shoulders. A surge of pain shot through my bad arm and I yanked away. She looked hurt and at the same time sorry.

"Look... The woman's probably insane. Just ignore her," Sokka said, smiling reassuringly at me.

"Easy for you to say," I muttered.

The rest of our stay in the village I avoided the fortune teller as much as I could. Maybe Sokka was right. Maybe the woman was just insane and wanted to scare me. I really hoped that was the case. I prayed that was the case. The next day came faster than I had expected, and on this day I was told by one of the villagers that aunt Wu would read the clouds to see if the village would be safe this year.

As the cloud reading ceremony occurred, I watched the old woman from a very far distance. She had to be a fake. She had to be insane and made that whole dying thing up.

The woman held a book in her hands and looked at the clouds, then shouted out all her predictions. "Good crops this year... Gonna be great year for twins... the village will not be destroyed by the volcano this year!"

The village cheered, and I watched Katara and Aang do the same. Sokka rolled his eyes and looked back at me. I shrugged and walked off not wanting to hear anymore of this crap. At least I hoped everything she said was crap.

Leaving the village, I walked a little ways from it to a place where no one would see me fire bend. I decided that I could be spending this pointless waste of time getting my arm back to it's normal self.

With a deep breath, I tried to lift my injured arm. A surge of pain shot through me and I gasped clutching my shoulder. Okay... Second times the charm. Trying to lift my arm again, another surge of pain shot through me and I cried out. Sweat began to bead down my forehead.

Okay... Try number three.

"_Amber..." _I froze and my eyes shot open in shock.

"Roku?" I asked.

"_Why are you doubting yourself? Have you forgotten that I'm connected to you. Your strength can overcome this."_

Touching my arm, I let out a hard sigh. Okay Roku...

Taking in another breath, I tried hard to ignore the pain and lifted my arm. It hurt like crazy, but to my relief I found the strength to hold it up. Then taking in another breath, I let energy flow through my body till a small flame appeared on my hand. I smiled weakly. Well, at least it was something.

For almost four hours I tried to bring motion back to my injured arm, and eventually I found I was able to lift it without anymore pain. It was almost as if Roku's spirit was healing it little by little. _Thanks Roku, _I thought, looking at my hand as a large hot flame appeared. Then finally when I was satisfied, I turned and walked back to the village.

When I got back to the village, I was surprised to find Aang and Sokka were heading somewhere. "Hey! Where are you guys going?"

Sokka sighed. "Aang wants to climb to the top of the volcano and get a white panda lily."

Deciding to get my mind off of dying, I said, "Let's go then."

Sokka stopped me. "Wait a second. You can't climb a volcano. You can barely lift your arm."

Smirking, I lifted my arm up ignoring the small bit of pain I still felt. Aang and Sokka were surprised at my rapid recovery. "Wow... That doctor must've done some magic," Aang said.

Putting my arm back to my side, I truthfully said, "It wasn't the doctor. Roku was the one. I think he healed it for me."

Aang smiled widely, while Sokka looked relieved. "Yay! Go Roku!" Aang cheered.

"But why didn't he heal you sooner?" Sokka asked with a raised brow.

Shrugging, I said, "Does it matter? I'm just glad he healed me. Now I can protect myself from imminent death."

"You're not going to die!" Sokka yelled, then turned continuing on toward the volcano.

"Let's hope," I muttered, more to myself than to them.

We ended up walking to the very top of the volcano, and I felt as we got higher and higher up, that something wasn't right. I could sense the lava's heat inside, and I could tell that it wasn't a calm fire. It seemed to almost be boiling. As Aang and Sokka reached the top, I called up to them. "Guys! There's something very wrong. The fire inside this volcano is acting strange."

As I approached them, I heard Aang say with dread, "I can see why."

Reaching the top of the volcano, I stared below with utter terror. Lava was beginning to rise, and that meant the village was going to be destroyed if we didn't do something within a few hours.

"Aunt Wu was wrong," Aang whispered. I felt like I wanted to be relieved by his words, but I was too filled with dread.

"That whole village is in danger! We have to do something," I said, watching as lava boiled more and more toward the opening of the volcano.

Aang suddenly snapped his glider open. "There's no time to walk," he said, then grabbed Sokka who grabbed me. We all screamed as we flew down the volcano and I was relieved to have us land safely on the stone squares of the village.

"Let's go find Katara!" Sokka ordered. We all ran across the village and arrived at the crazy fortune tellers place. Katara stood out of the door looking really annoyed.

When she saw us approach she turned to us with disappointment. "Can you believe she won't let me in? And after all the business I've given her!"

Trying not to roll my eyes, I snapped, "That woman's a fake Katara! She can't see anything in the future. She was wrong about the volcano and the villages safety!"

Katara snapped back, "You're just saying that because you don't trust her Amber. Spreading rumors like that is-"

She was cut off as a loud explosion sounded across the village. We all looked over with terror to see black smoke coming from the volcano we were just at. "See!" I cried, pointing at the smoke.

She looked surprised, then really disappointed. "I- I thought she was for real."

"No fortuneteller's real," I muttered.

Sokka then raced to the center of the city trying to get everyone's attention. As he did this I watched the black smoke begin to increase. Why were these people so blind to not see the danger looming over them?

"Please listen to us! You are all in danger! And we have to get out of here! You can't rely on Aunt Wu's prediction. You have to take fate into your own hands," Aang called to the annoyed looking villagers.

Another explosion rang from the volcano and everyone jumped. Sokka pointed at the smoke. "Look! Can your fortunetelling explain that?"

A man from the crowd yelled, "Can your science explain why it rains?"

Sokka looked annoyed. "Yes! Yes it can!" The crowd all rolled their eyes and walked their separate ways.

"They just won't listen," Katara cried.

Looking up at the volcano, I let my eyes follow the smoke to the clouds. Then my eyes widened and I smiled. Turning to the three weary kids, I said, "I have an idea." They all looked at me with question. "Do you guys remember a few weeks ago when I joked about bending the clouds... What if you guys bend the clouds into a shape that means the village is in danger."

Sokka sighed. "To do that we'd have to steal the cloud book. Aunt Wu keeps it in her home."

Aang smirked. "I'll get it."

We waited till Aunt Wu left her home to sneak in. Aang flew in through the window, and we stayed guard outside. As we stood and waited, I looked over at the sky again. The black smoke was starting to cover the whole sky now. The villagers in this town were really stupid.

Aang was back a few moments later and held the cloud book up with satisfaction. Then we quickly looked to see which cloud form meant 'Volcano destruction'. We found it eventually, and I rolled my eyes at what it was. It was a skull.

As Aang and Katara ran off to shape the clouds with their bending, Sokka ran to find Aunt Wu and I ran to gather the villagers. Running to the center of the village, I shouted, "Everyone! Aunt Wu wants you all to gather for another cloud reading! She says she feels she was wrong!"

The villagers all shot me a glare. "Why should we believe you! You're from the fire nation!"

Oh! Now they want to bring up my gold eyes and fire nation features.

Sighing, I shouted, "Look! I'm trying to help you all! Just at least here Aunt Wu out!"

The villagers looked at one another, shrugged, then began to walk toward the middle of the village where the cloud readings were held. Sokka had retrieved Aunt Wu when we arrived, and they were standing in the midst of everyone. She pulled out her cloud book that had somehow ended up back in her possession, then looked up at the sky and gasped.

"Oh my!" she cried, and the whole town looked up to see a giant skull shaped cloud. Then everyone gasped when they saw smoke from the volcano.

Smiling to myself, I looked over to see Aang and Katara had returned and gave them a thumbs up. After that everything turned into strategy. Sokka thought we'd be able to save the village, so he and the village men all ran to dig a large trench that would make the lava flow toward the river.

As he did this, I saw Aunt Wu staring at the volcano with disbelief. 'Ha... Serves you right.'

Turning, I walked away to see if I could help with anything. Sokka told me to sit it out so I didn't hurt myself any further. Sighing, I decided to go find Katara who appeared to be moping. "I can't believe she's a fake. After everything she told me," Katara muttered.

Sighing, I sat beside her on a rock she was perched on. "She may have just gotten this one thing wrong. You can't really ever tell if someone's real or not Katara."

She pouted. "I wish she was real. She told me so many things I want to be true."

Shaking my head, I looked over to see Aunt Wu holding her head in disbelief. Rolling my eyes, I said to my sister, "Sometimes, not knowing your future is the better option. It allows you to shape out your own path."

She smiled weakly. "Yeah. I guess you're right."

About half an hour later Sokka and Aang were back, and I saw the villagers had all returned as well. "That should do it. Let's just hope it holds it all," Sokka said, looking at the ditch that would hopefully save the village. "If it doesn't, then this place is going to burn."

Just as he said this, a huge explosion occurred and everyone in the town gasped as the lava began to flow. The four of us gathered by the large dugout trench, and watched with amazement as the lava began to flow toward the river and not toward the town. "It's working!" Katara cried with relief. Sokka grinned triumphantly while the crowd cheered.

My eyes widened however when I saw the Lava grow closer and closer to overflowing. Turning, I ordered to my family, "Get back. It's not going to hold it all!" We all ran from the ditch and watched as the lava began to to reach the top of the dugout.

Aang grabbed my good shoulder. "Amber! I think I can stop it but I need your help!"

Looking at him clueless, I watched as he ran toward the edge of the ditch where lava was starting to overflow. Running to stand beside him, we stood at the edge as the lava boiled closer and closer. "I need you to use your fire bending to help me stop this lava," Aang said.

My eyes flew open. "What! I can't bend lava! That's more earth than fire!"

"Just try!" Aang cried, then used his staff to create a wall of air just as the lava began to overflow the ditch. His air stopped the lava from exploding everywhere, but the lava was managing to slip past the wall and get closer and closer to where Aang and I stood. "Come on Amber!" Aang practically begged.

Sighing, I silently asked Roku to give me strength, then I breathed in and held my hands forward. Feeling the fires heat from the lava I used my bending to push the burning liquid back and hold it behind Aang's wall. "You're doing it!" I heard Katara cheer.

Closing my eyes, I manipulated the heat from the lava picturing it to cool down and turn solid. After a while I found everything grew quiet, and I opened my eyes to find Aang's wind had stopped. "Did we do it?" I asked weakly, suddenly feeling as if all my strength had left me.

Sokka was suddenly at my side just as my legs went numb and I fell forward. He held both my forearms, then helped me sit down. "You really need to stop this creepy glowing thing, Amber."

"Glowing?" I asked, somewhat confused.

"You were glowing again, just like you had been when you were facing King Bumi's challenges," Aang explained, as he and Katara approached. As I started to come more to my senses, I looked over at where the lava had previously been flowing. To my surprise, all the lava that had once been flowing, was now cooled and solid. Was lava supposed to cool that fast.

"That was amazing! The way you stopped and took the heat from the lava. You have to be the most powerful fire bender I've ever seen," Aunt Wu suddenly said, approaching the four of us with amazed eyes. "You have the blood of a powerful ancestry inside you."

My heart skipped a beat. I cooled the lava?

Aang smirked and looked down at me. "See... She can at least tell the present if not the future."

Rolling my eyes, I managed to find my legs and stood. Then turning to Aunt Wu, I said too tired to argue, "You can think my great grandfather for that. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get out of this village before we have to prove anymore of your fortunes wrong."

Turning, I walked away from everyone toward Appa. As I did I looked down at my hands in wonder. Had I really cooled the lava? And if so, why hadn't I noticed I was doing it? Had Roku taken me over?

Sighing, I turned and looked back at the cooled lava. If only Zuko could see me now. His little sister can bend lava.

A few hours later we left the earth kingdom village and began heading north once more. I was really glad to leave and put that crazy fortuneteller behind us. Mostly because I didn't want her telling me again I was going to die. Aang, Katara, and Sokka weren't sure what to say about my whole glowing thing, and neither was I. As we continued to fly, I took the cloak I was wearing off. Then looking down at my arm my eyes widened. The terrible scar that had once been there was gone. Aang and Sokka noticed this too.

"No way! It's completely healed!" Aang exclaimed, grabbing my arm and examining it in wonder.

"Do you think that glowing thing had something to do with it?" Sokka asked, his eyes wide at our new discovery.

Katara looked at us in complete loss. "What are you talking about? What was wrong with your arm?!" The three of us shut up, shot each other uncertain glances and looked away. The less Katara knew the better.


	15. The Enemy

Running... I was running through the forest gasping for air. My heart pounded rapidly as I tried to escape. Why was I running? I couldn't remember anything? A twig snapped behind me and I turned my head in terror. All I could see was darkness, but I heard cold laughter from behind.

Screaming, I turned forward only to have my foot get caught in a root. My body flew through the air and hit the ground. It was odd that I didn't feel my fall, but at the moment I only cared that something was chasing me.

Turning on my back, I screamed in terror as I saw Zhao standing above me. "Hello Princess," he hissed, raising his fists as if to strike me with fire. Closing my eyes with terror, I suddenly heard another voice. This one was from my past and I knew exactly who it belonged to.

"Hello sis," her cruel voice hissed. Opening my eyes I stared at my five year old sister Azula. She smirked and lit a blue flame in her hand. "Mommy won't be able to stop me this time." Then she shot the blue flame straight at me, and I screamed and thrashed as blue light engulfed me.

"Ow! Will you stop kicking me!" A voice shouted, and I opened my eyes. Waking up from my terrifying dream, I saw Sokka was restraining me as I continued to thrash. Immediately I stopped when I saw my water tribe brother staring into my eyes. "You good?" he asked, not sure if he wanted to let my arms go.

Staring at my brother slightly confused, I asked, "It was a dream? I'm not being chased?"

Katara sighed from where she sat on her sleeping bag. "No Amber. How many times do we have to tell you? You're not being chased by anyone. This whole fortune thing has gone to your head," she said.

"It's not her fault," Aang said, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he leaned against Appa who slept soundly. "If I was told I was going to die I'd be just as spooked."

Sighing in relief, I lied my head back and felt my heart pound in my ears. These last three nights I'd dreamed of pretty much the same thing. Me running through the forest, and someone chasing after me with a blue flame. The first night it was Zhao, and the second night it was my father. Now this dream with Azula was happening and I dreaded it would come true.

"Uh... Sokka," I said. "Can you get off?"

My brother let go of my arms and stood. "Sorry. You were just thrashing and screaming. I didn't want you hurting yourself."

Nodding, I sighed and stood. "I'm going to dunk my head in the stream. I think it will calm my nerves." As I started to tiredly walk away, I heard Katara tell Sokka and Aang she'd go with me. Following behind me, we walked about twenty yards from the campsite until we reached the small stream.

Kneeling beside the stream, I cupped some water in my hand and splashed it on my face. The cold liquid brought me to the real world and I finally felt my racing heart calm. Katara knelt beside me looking really worried. "I'm fine Katara," I promised, wiping my eyes to get water out of them. Turning to her I saw she wasn't convinced.

"You said that yesterday, and then the day before that. If you were fine we wouldn't hear you screaming every morning."

Sighing, I looked back at my reflection in the stream. "I'm sorry. It's just ever since that creepy lady told me about my future that could happen, I've been a little spooked."

Katara nodded in understanding. "I know her words may have sounded true, but just remember the fact that she was wrong about a lot of things. She almost got her town destroyed by a volcano!"

Nodding, I smiled weakly knowing Katara might be right. "Yeah," I said softly. "I really hope that's the case."

Katara sighed then stood. I remained kneeling by the water somewhat in thought. What if I was freaking out over nothing? And besides, I don't think I've met a fire bender yet who can bend blue flames. Azula might be able to, or father, seeing as I haven't seen them in over nine years, but still...

Suddenly I felt the water wrap around my wrist from the stream, and I screamed as I was pulled in. When I managed to find my legs and surface the three foot current, I heard laughter coming from my little sister. My hair dripped water, and the shirt and skirt I wore clung to me. Looking at Katara I wanted to be annoyed, but for some reason I felt a peace fill inside me.

I was actually filled with enjoyment for once in my life.

"Can you help me?" I asked, reaching my hand toward her as I started to get out of the water. She was still laughing as she took it, and I laughed then. Yanking her toward me, she gasped as we both went falling back into the water. When we resurfaced again, both Katara and I were laughing like crazy.

Splashing one another playfully, I jumped forward and dunked my sister under the water. When she came back up she smirked and pushed her hand forward. A strong wave smacked into me a second later and I went under with wide eyes. As I was under the water I smiled. That little cheat.

When I resurfaced this time, I found Katara had climbed out of the stream and bent the water off of her. "That was cheating," I said, climbing out and smiling at my sister. She smiled back and bent the water off of me as well throwing it back into the stream.

When we were both dry we began to walk back toward the camp. As we did I looked at Katara. "Hey Katara," I began, and she looked at me with question. "Thanks for that. I really needed it."

She suddenly threw her arms around me in a sisterly embrace. "Any time sis."

When we got back to camp I saw Sokka was packing up our things and Aang had prepared us some breakfast. It looked like we were having fruit and some type of soup. As we ate, Sokka pulled out a map of the four nations and laid it in front of us.

"Okay... So we're right here," he said pointing to a certain area of the map. "If we start heading North East for another day or two, then we should be just south of the Northern Water Tribe. After that we just head another day north and we should get there. I'd say an estimate of four days, if we don't stop for too long."

Aang seemed excited. "Hey! Maybe when we get here we can stop by the Northern Air Temple," he said pointing at a spot right below the North Pole.

Sokka sighed, while Katara nodded. I just shrugged.

After we'd cleaned up, I'd extinguished the fire with my bending, and we fed Appa some hay, we finally started to head out again. After flying for a good amount of the day we all stopped for a potty break after Aang kept complaining. When that was done we decided to go on foot for a little bit, just to give Appa a break.

"So when we reach the North Pole," I began, "I guess I can't firebend."

"Why?" Sokka asked, glancing down at the map in his hands as we continued to walk.

Smiling, I said, "I don't think they'd appreciate me melting their homes. Remember the igloo incident a few years ago."

Katara laughed. "Yeah... You made us spend a week in a tent because of that. I remember us all cramped inside that little space."

Aang asked to hear the story, so I told him that I was practicing creating a flame in my hand when I was ten and hadn't realized my fires heat was melting the ceiling of our igloo home. When dad and mom came inside and found a hole in the ceiling their looks were priceless. At the thought of my mom and dad I sighed and looked toward the ground. If chief Hakoda knew who I really was, would he see me as a monster and banish me from the family. I also wondered what my mom Kya thought of me from wherever she was above. Was I monster in her eyes too?

"Yeah. Firebending probably won't make the locals too happy," Sokka said, folding his map up. "You could take warrior training with me though. I'm sure they can squeeze you in."

"How do you know they have warrior training?" I asked.

He shrugged. "They have to teach their warriors how to fight somehow."

We walked some more then and eventually we stepped beside a river. As we got closer to it, we saw oddly familiar objects on the ground. Walking over to one, I saw a sword made from a whale tooth. My eyes shot open and I turned to the others. "Guys! Check this out!"

They all ran over and examined the weapon I was so familiar with. "This is a water tribe weapon," Sokka exclaimed in disbelief. He picked it up and examined it, his mind going to a far off place.

Katara and I looked at one another in amazement, while Aang pointed at it's surface. "Are those burn marks all over it?" he asked.

Sokka brushed his hand over the burnt tooth, then said, "There was a battle..." He turned and started examining the other weapons. Some of them I noticed were fire nation as well. "Water Tribe warriors ambushed a group of firebenders." Sokka then began to walk down hill and we followed not sure what he was getting at. "The firebenders fought back but the warriors drove them down this hill..."

He stopped when we had no more weapons to follow, almost appearing disappointed. As he spoke to Aang and Katara about the trail ending, I walked on further. Going around the the corner, I walked along the river seeing burn marks on the ground. Looking across the dirt I saw what I had been searching for.

"Sokka!" I shouted, and a few moments later the three of them caught up to me. Pointing to the water tribe boat I saw my brother light up with joy.

"It's one of our boats!" Sokka exclaimed.

Staring at the boat, I remembered the day I watched it sail away.

_Standing on the icy platform of the southern water tribe my twelve year old self clung to my water tribe father's waist. My father looked down at me with kind and loving blue eyes. "Don't go," I begged, hugging him with all my might._

_He smiled, then kissed me on the head. "I'll be back soon Kaya. You need to keep your brother and sister in line while I'm gone. Can you do that for me?" Nodding, I felt warm tears slide down my cheek making my skin freeze from the cold. He brushed my tears, then said, "I promise I'll be home as soon as I can. I love sunshine." I smiled at my nickname. My father had never seen me as a destructive monster for my firebending. He claimed I was more like a warm ray of sunlight._

"_We have to go Hakoda! Say goodbye to your real children." My father's right hand man Bato said approaching us and looking at me with hatred. Bato always said to me when my father wasn't around, that he wished Hakoda had left me on that ship to die._

"_Bato,"Hakoda snapped, not liking what his friend had just said. He only shrugged and walked off causing father to watch him go with narrowed eyes. Then father turned to me. "I better say goodbye to the other two. Practice your firebending so that one day we can win this war together."_

_Smiling widely, I promised, "I will daddy." He then kissed me one last time and turned to leave. _

"Is this dad's boat?" Katara suddenly asked, bringing me back to the present.

"No... But it's from his fleet. Dad was here!" Sokka cried with excitement.

We walked on for a little bit longer, then decided to make camp as the sun began to set. "At least we made good distance today," I said as I lied back on my sleeping back. Katara and Aang were already asleep, and Sokka looked at the fire in thought not hearing what I'd just said. "Sokka?"

He glanced over at me for a moment, then looked back into the flames. "I remember the day he left. I wanted to go with him so bad, but he told me I had to stay and watch over you guys. Sometimes I wish I was with him."

Sighing, I sat up and crossed my legs tracing my finger over the water tribe bracelet on my wrist. "He probably didn't want you getting hurt Sokka. You were only twelve at the time."

Sokka snapped, "I was turning thirteen in a month!"

Sighing, I got up and then sat beside him so that we were both staring into the fire. "I know how much you wanted to go. I watched you the day before packing all your belongings. Dad was right to leave you though. If he had taken you, then you wouldn't have met Aang and became the man you are to this day."

"Man?" he asked, looking at me in surprise.

Smiling at him, I said, "You've grown into a strong man Sokka. A strong warrior. You aren't the young water tribe boy you use to be. You're more apart of this war now than dad will ever be, and that makes you stronger than anyone I've ever seen."

He seemed pleased with my words. "Yeah... I guess you're right..."

We sat staring into the fire for a few more seconds, then suddenly we heard the sound of footsteps walking toward us. Sokka grabbed his boomerang as we both jumped up and turned in the direction of the intruder. "Who's there?" Sokka cried.

"Sokka?" A familiar voice asked, and suddenly a bandaged lean man in his forties came into the fire light.

"Bato?" Sokka asked, and I saw his eyes widen with amazement.

Aang groaned and woke up groggily asking, "Who the what now?"

Katara jumped out of bed immediately and both my siblings ran to the man. "Bato!" Katara cried, as they both threw their arms around the man who despised me.

Aang got up and now stood beside me watching this embrace with utter confusion. "Who is this guy?"

Sighing, I muttered, "The one man at the South Pole who didn't accept me."

"Sokka! Katara! It is so good to see you two," Bato said to them, hugging them back. "Oh, you've grown so much!"

Aang stepped forward a little, bowing and saying, "Hi. I'm Aang." No one seemed to really be paying attention, and I pat Aang on the shoulder letting him know it was okay.

"Where's dad?" Sokka asked.

"Is he here?" Katara also asked.

Bato smiled at the both of them. "No. He and the other warriors should be in the eastern earth kingdom by now."

My siblings looked disappointed, while Aang appeared somewhat hurt that no one had acknowledged him.

"Oh, Kaya. I didn't see you there," Bato suddenly said, stepping over to me with a fake smile. He always faked his feelings toward me when my family was around. When I was alone though, then he'd let me know how much he wanted me gone.

"Hey Bato," I muttered, looking away from him with a scowl.

"Actually, her name really is-" Katara began, but I ran forward blocking her mouth with my hand and muffling her words. Everyone watched this exchanged with bewilderment.

Looking back at Bato, I snapped, "Why are you here?"

He was startled by my sudden temper, and I knew why. When he last saw me I was a weak, quiet, and shy girl who was scared of everything. Now I didn't want to take anyone's crap. If Bato found out I was the Fire Lord's unwanted daughter he'd criticize me for hours.

Katara shoved my hand off her as Bato answered, "We can discuss that later. Let's head to the abbey and talk there. There's a bit of a chill outside today." Glaring at this man, I felt Katara nudge me as we began to follow him to this abbey place.

"Can you at least try to act civil?" she asked.

Yanking from her, I snapped, "Only if he does. And don't tell him my name. He'll kill me if he finds out who I am."

Katara sighed, shook her head, and went to catch up with Sokka and Bato. Aang walked beside me. "Yeah. I can definitely tell you two don't like each other," he muttered.

When we got to the abbey, I followed a few paces behind everyone not exactly happy to be following this man. As we walked through the abbey gates Bato spoke, "After I was wounded your father carried me to this abbey. The sisters have cared for me ever since." When he said this a woman in a long dress with a head veil walked by. "Superior, these are Hakoda's children. They've been traveling with the avatar. I found them by my boat."

The woman smiled at all of us then bowed to Aang. "Young avatar, it gives me great joy to be in your presence. Welcome to our abbey."

Aang bowed back. "Thank you. It's truly an honor to be her. If there's anything-"

Sokka cut him off. "What smells so good Bato?" Aang looked upset, and I rolled my eyes at how inconsiderate my brother just was.

"The sisters craft ointments and perfumes," Bato explained.

Sokka then tried to crack a joke about pouring the perfume on Appa because he stinks. None of us found it amusing.

Later we ended up at Bato's temporary room where he'd transformed it into a water tribe home, complete with dead animals and blue fabrics. He had the smell of stewed sea prunes flowing through the air. I'd never been a fan of sea prunes.

"Bato, it looks like home!" Katara exclaimed.

Aang looked at the dead animals muttering, "Yeh, nothings more comforting than dead animal skins."

As everyone sat and was given some steamed sea prunes, I turned and left the room muttering that I was tired and wanted to find somewhere to sleep. There was no way I was going to stick around and be frowned upon by Bato.

In the end I found a nice spot on a pile of hay. The twenty women at the abbey watched me curiously, but I ignored them as I stared up at the sky. As I closed my eyes and began to drift, I heard footsteps approach. "I'm not moving," I said, too comfortable to do so.

"Well someone's turned into a smart mouth," Bato muttered, walking up to me. At once I sat up and inched away, not wanting to be too close to the man who despised me. "I came to see where you'd run off to. They were getting worried, so I told them I'd go find you."

That was his way of saying, _Looks like it's just you and me._

"You're definitely not the same girl I remember from back then. Perhaps that's because of the blood that runs through your veins," he said, smirking when he saw the look on my face. My eyes were wide and my mouth went dry. "Don't worry Amber, Katara and Sokka didn't say anything. I've known since the day we first saw you on that fire nation ship."

At his words I felt my blood run cold. "What do you mean? You've all known who I was this whole time?"

Bato narrowed his eyes. "Not all of us. Just me, Hakoda, and a few other warriors. If we had told others, then you definitely would have been killed on the spot."

My heart stopped. Hakoda had known all along who I was... and he never told me!

Standing, I backed away from him. "You guys knew this whole time!"

Bato snapped, "Of course we knew! How do you think we found you on that fire nation vessel in the first place. Some young fire nation soldier begged us to save you. He told us you were the Fire Lord's daughter and that your own father wanted you dead. Hakoda took pity on you and brought you into his home. He thought that maybe in the future we could use you as some sort of leverage if the fire nation ever attacked. I told him you were dangerous, but when you woke up without memory of your past Hakoda said you were no threat. Now that your memories back, you are indeed a threat and I don't like you traveling with Sokka and Katara."

"You know I'd never hurt anyone," I snapped.

Bato snapped, "I'm sure your true father said those same words, and now look at him. All he cares about is power and control. Your own father was so blinded by his power that he saw you as a disgrace to his family and wanted you dead. How do I know you won't do the same to your brother and sister if you see them as a nuisance?"

Jumping up, I felt my hand steam as I clenched it in rage. "How dare you! I've stuck at my family's side this whole time! Where were you? You guys were the ones that left our whole tribe without any protection! You guys were the-"

A slap rang across my cheek and I clutched it in shock.

"Don't you dare say _our _tribe! You will never be one of the water tribe!" Bato snapped, then started to head back to his room. He turned one last time though and hissed, "You will always be a monster, and one day Sokka, Katara, and Aang will realize that."

Just as he was about to walked away, I snapped, "No! One day they'll see your the monster!" Then turning I left Bato, who watched me go with outrage. A few sisters standing by watched me leave the abbey with almost sympathetic eyes. If they felt so bad for me, then they should've stood up for me. No one wants to stand up to a firebender though.

Walking a little ways from the gated place, I found the water tribe boat from earlier. Appa sat on the sand asleep, and I pat him as I walked by to get to the boat. Climbing on board with a rope hanging from the side, I managed to walk on the tilted deck and find a pile of sails. Lying on the rough material, I closed my eyes praying no dreams of blue fire would come to me and that I could drift into peace.

As I started to drift, I suddenly heard movement from the sand, and I got up walking to the side of the boat only to hear Aang speaking to Appa. "I can't believe they would leave me," Aang muttered. His words confused me and I wondered who he was speaking about. The noise of scuttling was heard from the right of me and I looked over to see a strange lizard running over to Aang. Someone road on the lizards back.

Crouching behind the rail of the boat, I watched with utter confusion as the earth kingdom man said, "I'm looking for Bato of the water tribe."

Aang hesitated. "Uh... I know Bato."

The messenger handed him a scroll saying, "Make sure he get's this." Aang took it, and from the moonlight I saw Aang look really nervous. The messenger left then, leaving a gust of dust where he'd once been.

Watching Aang open the scroll, I saw his eyes widen. "It's the map to Sokka, Katara, and Amber's dad!"

His words surprised me, and I immediately slid down the boat to get a closer look. "Really! Let me see!" I begged, running over. Aang looked like he had seen a ghost when he saw me appear out of no where.

"Wha- where did you come from?" he asked, looking around and hiding the map behind him.

His actions confused me, and I furrowed my brows confused. "Aang... What's going on?"

"Uh- um... Nothing..."

"Nothing?" I asked, walking over to him. Grabbing the map from behind him, I shot him a look when I saw it was indeed a map to some island our father was at. "Why are you hiding this Aang?"

Aang looked regretfully at the ground. "I- I don't want you guys to leave me. I don't want to do this alone."

Sighing, I handed the map back to him. "We're not going to leave you. We all promised to take you to the North Pole, and I'm most certain that Sokka and Katara will keep their promise." Aang looked at the map with a frown. As I started to walk away, I said, "I'm not going to let you go alone. I know what it's like to be alone."

Lying back down on the boat, I stared up at the sky and thought of my words. As I did a memory came back to me.

_Walking through the dark halls of the fire nation palace, I felt shivers run down my spine. My mom and dad were away at one of the fire nation colonies, seeing to some war matters. Zuko and Azula had left for a firebending training camp which I wasn't allowed to go to; since no one knew I could firebend father didn't want me disgracing his family. Iroh and Lu Ten were even away, going to some Earth Kingdom colony to take it over. That left me with granpa Azulon, and he could careless about me._

_The guards were positioned at their usual spots, but none of them paid mind to me as I used the wall to help me find my way. The only light was from a few stray candles._

_Suddenly a flash of lightening shot through the window, and a moment later thunder followed. With terror I ran under the first table I could find, and let the red fabric table cloth hide me from the danger. As the thunder echoed I sobbed into my knees. My red dress absorbed the tears as they fell._

_I was alone. I was alone and no one probably even cared._

Gasping, I opened my eyes to find the sun just rising. When I went to touch my face I felt the droplets of tears, and realized my memory had caused me to cry.

"Amber!" I suddenly heard my sister call, and I sighed getting up from my pile of sails. Wiping my tears, I looked over to see Katara looking around frantically for me. Climbing back down the boat again, I walked over to Katara who saw me and looked greatly concerned. "Where have you been? Bato said you were going off on him last night and then stormed-" Her mouth stopped and her eyes widened. "Your face... Did Bato hit you?"

Pressing my hand on my cheek, I felt it swollen. Oh. Bato must have hit me harder than I thought. "If I told you yes, would you believe me?"

She looked down her face twisted in disbelief as well as disappointment.

"Don't freak out over it all. Bato was just being his own self. I'm use to it," I said, trying to brighten her frowning face. She didn't look one bit convinced, but she said nothing more of it.

Following her back to the abbey, we walked past the perfume jars till we reached Bato's room. There we found Aang and Sokka eating some breakfast. Bato sat across the room and as we entered he looked up with a mask of relief. A fake mask of course.

"Glad to see you're here. We were just eating some breakfast, then we were going to take your brother ice-dodging," Bato said.

I'd heard of the sport Ice-Dodging. It was a type of traditional ceremony, that if passed properly meant a boy was finally a man. "How? There's no ice last time I checked."

Bato looked annoyed by my words, but answered, "The river has rocks in it. It will have to do." Bato then stood. "I'll go prepare the boat. You all finish eating and then meet me down by the river."

After Bato left, I noticed that Katara relaxed just a little. Was she as nervous around Bato as I was?

"Sokka... He crossed the line this time," Katara said, then pointed at my sore cheek. Sighing, I bit down into a sweet melon not wanting to be babied again. "We have to stop this. Bato's never liked Amber, but this is the first time I think he's actually physically hurt her. You need to tell him to back off."

Sokka looked like he was at a loss and unsure what to do.

Rolling my eyes, I swallowed my food and said, "Calm down Katara. I've been punched, kicked, burned, and hit on the head by a heavy pipe. I don't think one little slap will kill me. Bato can't be swayed from the way he sees me, so I'd recommend not even trying. He can see me as a monster for all I care, and I'll see him as one too."

Katara shook her with a frown, while Sokka looked torn between wanting to be mad at Bato and not. Aang was the one to break the tension in the room. "Putting that aside... We better head down there if we want to make Sokka a man," Aang joked. We all smiled at his words.

After we'd finished eating, we made our way back to the river. Sokka looked back at me and I gave him a reassuring smile letting him know it was okay. Eventually we arrived back at the boat which was now floating in the deeper part of the river. Katara bent a sheet of ice to create a walkway that would take them across to the boat.

As they started to walk, I sat on the river bank watching them. Aang looked back noticing I hadn't followed. "You're not coming?" he asked in surprise.

Shaking my head, I said, "Sorry... I can't be on the same boat as that man. I'll watch from here."

Katara and Sokka looked at me with understanding, while Aang nodded. Then they started to walk off toward the boat.

"Good luck Sokka!" I called. He looked back and smiled. Then when the three of them got on the boat and started heading off, I sighed. Why did Sokka have to prove himself to Bato so much? Sokka was more of a man than Bato would ever be.

Watching as the boat drifted toward the rocks down stream, I let my mind carry me to my past once more.

"_Kaya!" Sokka cried, running after me as I laughed and ran past large piles of snow. "You're going to hurt yourself! Don't go that way!" _

_My ten year old self looked back at my brother and I grinned. "Calm down! I go this way all the-"_

_Suddenly my feet slipped from under me and I went flying onto a thin sheet of ice. It was so thin that I could see the fish swimming underneath it. "Oh no..." I whispered._

"_Don't move Kaya! I'm going to find something to pull you back. The ice will crack if you step on it," Sokka said, his blue eyes watching with terror._

_The ice began to crack beneath me however, and I cried out as it gave way sending me down into the freezing waters below. As I tried to kick my booted feet and use my hands to swim up to the surface, I let out my breath from the fear of drowning. When I did this I felt my lungs tighten and my whole body ache from lack of air. Just as I began to sink farther and farther down, I felt my brothers hand grab my wrist and pull me up._

_When we surfaced, we both coughed and tried to swim our way to the icy platform. The cold air made my whole body frozen and numb, and I wonder if I'd end up dying from hypothermia instead._

_Both of us managed to somehow climb back on the ice, and Sokka helped us both get to the stronger section of the platform. When we were safe we were both out of breath and exhausted. _

_Tears pulled in my eyes and I cried out with chattering teeth, "I- I'm sorry! I'm sorry S-sok-ka!" _

_Sokka pulled my soaked shivering body to his own and said with his own chattering teeth, "I-It's o-okay s-sis."_

_When we managed to get back to the Southern Water tribe father saw us and his eyes filled with terror. "Kanna! Get some warm clothes quickly before these kids freeze to death!"_

_Sokka and I spent the rest of the night warming by the fire, and I told dad when I could talk again about how Sokka bravely jumped in the water to save me. Dad looked over at Sokka and smiled. "You're turning into such a strong young man my son. It took a lot of courage to do what you did today."_

_Sokka beamed at the appreciation father had given to him, then looked at me with his red runny nose. We both were getting the effects of a cold. "You hear that Kaya! I'm a man!"_

_Grinning, I said, "Now you can get married!"_

_Sokka's eyes widened, while our father, nine year old Katara, and Gran Gran broke into laughter. Sokka glared at all of us, but eventually smiled as well and laughed along. _

My attention brought me back to staring at the river, and I watched as the water tribe boat began to disappear among the rocks. If Bato let my family get hurt I'd be sure to give him what he deserves. Sighing, I lit a flame in my hand and let the warm ball of fire dance across my fingers. As I did so I felt a strange sensation in my arm and watched with amazement as my fire turned into a purple flame. Gasping, I let my flame die and stared at my hand in amazement.

Either I could bend purple fire, was going color blind, or just going insane completely.

Sighing, I pulled my knees up to my chest and stared at the place I'd last seen the boat. I was probably losing my mind. Lighting another flame I saw only red fire and no purple. Yep. Definitely losing my mind.

A whole thirty minutes seemed to pass till finally I saw the water tribe vessel reappear on the river. Standing in relief, I was glad to know they'd made it back safely. When they anchored near the river bank, Katara created another icy platform allowing the four of them to walk back to land.

Meeting them on the bank, I asked, "How'd it go?"

Bato placed a hand on my brothers shoulder. "Sokka is officially a man. He displayed much maturity today through his wisdom and bravery." Bato then told us all to stay where we were so he could go fetch something back at the abbey.

We stayed by the bank, and Sokka told me about his rock dodging. He told me how they were about to crash into a rock, but with the help of Aang and Katara they were able to fly over the jagged rocks to safety. "I'm just glad you all made it safely," I said. "Though I knew you could do it Sokka."

"So what happened with you while we were gone?" Katara asked.

Instead of saying anything I just shrugged and hoped she wouldn't ask again. She didn't and I felt relieved by this. I was already odd for glowing, so the last thing I needed was to be known as the glowing girl with purple fire.

Bato came back a few moments later and held a bowl of paint in his hands. "Whenever a boy becomes a man, we mark him with a symbol that represents his journey," Bato began. Then he said, "The spirits of water bear witness to these marks. For Sokka, the mark of the wise, the same mark your father earned." Bato painted a dot with an arc above it on Sokka's forehead causing my brother to beam. "For Katara, the mark of the brave. Your courage inspires us," Bato said painting a crescent shaped mark on her forehead. "And for Aang, the mark of the trusted. You are now an honorary member of the water tribe," he said, painting a half circle mark on Aang.

"He already was when he saved our village. Oh yeah, you weren't there to know that since you abandoned us," I muttered.

Bato turned toward me to spit me some snide comment, but Aang interrupted. "I can't," he said, wiping the mark from his head.

Katara looked at him amazed. "Of course you can!"

Aang looked down with guilt and I immediately knew. He hadn't shown them the map of dad's whereabouts. This wasn't going to end well.

"No, you can't trust me," he said. I took a step forward to stop him, but he shot me a look telling me to let him speak. "A messenger gave this to me for Bato," Aang began, taking out a crumpled up scroll. Katara grabbed it from him anxiously and looked down at it. "You have to understand, I was afraid you'd-"

Sokka looked at the map, then at Aang with fury. "This is the map to our father! You had it the whole time!? How could you?" Aang looked ready to cry. "Well, you can go to the North Pole on your own! I'm going to find Dad."

"Sokka, stop! You're not thinking clearly. Aang just didn't want us straying off course. If we go see dad, it will knock us another month from the North Pole. He was afraid we'd leave him and he'd be left on his-"

"Wait! You knew about this," Sokka snapped, pointing at me with a mixture of hurt and rage. "How could you keep this from us! We can go see dad and you hide it?!"

Backing up slightly, I said, "Okay. It was wrong for Aang and I to not tell you. But come on Sokka, we made a promise to Aang. We told him we'd get him to the North Pole. Last I remember the water tribe isn't supposed to break promises."

Sokka narrowed his eyes at me, while Katara looked at the map in her hands with utter loss. She didn't know what to do.

"I'm leaving. You're either coming with us, or going with Aang," Sokka snapped, too clouded by betrayal to realize what he was saying.

Shaking my head, I stepped beside Aang. "I'm keeping my promise. Tell dad I'm sorry, but I'm not leaving Aang alone. He's been by my side this whole time, and it's my turn to return the favor."

Sokka and Katara said nothing else, but as they walked back toward the abbey I saw Katara look back at us with guilt and regret. Bato stayed back, then looked at me with narrowed eyes. "Now who's abandoning their family," he spat, and turned walking away.

Sighing, I looked over at Aang who looked utterly torn. "Come on Aang," I said, grabbing his shoulder in a supportive way. "Let's go get Appa ready." Aang nodded with terrible guilt, and I wished I could find some way to cheer him up.

I had a feeling my siblings just needed to blow off some steam, and I was positive they'd walk for ten minutes, realize how foolish they were being, and come back.

When Aang and I got to the abbey, Katara and Sokka had their belongings and looked ready to go. "Good luck," Aang said to Katara as they were beginning to leave.

Katara didn't meet our eyes. "You too. Keep each other out of trouble." Then they left, and I sighed unable to believe my family was doing this to Aang. After Bato, Sokka, and Katara left Aang flew Appa to the river where I told him I'd catchup to after I gathered some supplies.

The sisters were beginning to place some fruit and flasks of water into my backpack when suddenly a noise was heard nearby. It was the sound of the abbey's gate crashing open. All the sisters and I turned in terror to see a giant mole like animal with really small eyes. Immediately I recognized what animal he was from Iroh telling me about this species when I was very young. The Shirshu stepped forward, and I stared at his paralyzing tongue in terror. Then I looked at the riders on his back and felt my blood run cold.

"Well, well... We meet again," Zuko said, sliding off the beast and walking over to me. Iroh and the black haired fire nation girl stayed on the beast watching our interaction. Iroh appeared worried that we'd fight, while the girl looked at me emotionlessly.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, stepping forward and getting into a stance showing I was prepared to fight.

My brother rolled his eyes. "Put your hands down. I don't want to fight you. I'm here for the avatar and to convince you once again whose side you should be on."

Scoffing, I said, "You honestly think I'd ever join your side? I'm never going to assist the fire lord a.k.a the man that wanted me dead. And as for Aang, what makes you think I'll give him to you. I'd rather fight you now than let you have him."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "I don't have time for you. June!"

The woman on the Shirshu shouted, "Get her Nyla!"

With a gasp, I immediately dodged the beasts quick long paralyzing tongue. Zuko took my momentary distraction and ran forward tackling me to the ground. Screaming, I struggled under my brothers hold. "Where is he Amber," he ordered, grabbing my fists and pinning them to the ground. "Where is he and those water tribe kids?"

Struggling from under his hold, I snapped, "Why the agni would I tell you? You'll just lock them all up and father will have them executed."

Zuko stared at me for a moment with surprise I said such a thing, but he quickly covered it up with a hard mask. Standing, he yanked me up and pulled my hands behind me. Tying rope from inside his armor around my hands, I went to burn it but Zuko wouldn't have that. "Now June!" The woman growled, then snapped her whip on the giant beast. Nyla shot her tongue at me and I screamed when the saliva hit me. Falling to the ground, I felt nothing but the beating of my heart.

Stupid paralyzing tongue.

"Zuko!" I cried, my mouth able to move but the rest of my body useless. Zuko ignored my curses and shouts as he lifted me and threw me over his shoulder. Walking me over to the beast, he climbed up with his free hand and placed me in front of him.

The girl with us looked back and smirked. "You know, I do see some resemblance." Then we were moving again, and I wanted to get off more than anything. Though I couldn't feel the ride, I wasn't exactly happy with Zuko and didn't appreciate him holding my waist to keep me upright. I didn't want his help when he was just going to imprison my family and Aang.

When we got into the forest, we intercepted paths with Sokka and Katara. They looked like they'd been heading back to the abbey and I smiled to myself. I knew they wouldn't really leave. "Amber!" Katara cried, seeing I had been pretty much captured by my brother.

"Let her go Zuko!" Sokka ordered, pulling his boomerang out from behind him.

"Why? So she can choose you peasants again? Where is the avatar?!" Zuko snapped, probably getting fired up. He seemed to have a lot of anger issues.

Sokka spat, "He's not here if you haven't noticed. We split up a while ago!"

Zuko shot June a look and she nodded.

"Look out!" I cried still only able to move my head. "The tongue paralyzes where it hits you!"

Zuko sighed, muttering under his breath, "I should've just knocked you out."

As the giant beast slung its tongue at Sokka and Katara, who tried to dodge it but failed miserably, I watched them fall to the ground paralyzed. Zuko slid down the beast, first handing me off to Iroh who held onto my limp form so I didn't fall.

"Well now what?" Zuko muttered frustrated. Something suddenly rolled from Sokka's bag onto the ground, and the beast went crazy at the scent. It was the scroll.

"It's seeking a different scent. Perhaps something that the avatar held," June said as her beast sniffed the paper hard.

Zuko smirked, then he grabbed the paralyzed kids on the ground and managed to put them on the beast. I'm sure Nyla enjoyed having six people on her back.

We ran back to the abbey, and as we did I looked back at my siblings who looked to be having a bumpy ride. To my surprise, I saw Zuko reach back and grab my sister as she began to fall. I smiled to myself... At least he had somewhat of a heart. If it was Zhao he would've just let her fall and laughed.

When we got to the middle of the abbey, the beast went crazy and began to stand on his hind legs. We all shouted as we fell off and onto the ground. Looking up, I saw with terror that Aang was gliding above.

"No! Run Aang!" I cried.

He ignored me and landed a few yards away. "Leave my friends alone," he snapped, then a huge battle broke out between him, June and her beast, and my brother Zuko. Iroh dragged my paralyzed body over against a wall, as two abbey sisters did the same to my siblings.

Closing my eyes, I breathed in hard trying to get the fire flowing through my body. If I could get movement back then I could help Aang.

"Are you okay?" Sokka asked suddenly.

Smiling weakly, I answered, "Yeah... Just a little stuck."

"I can relate," Katara muttered, gritting her teeth to try and move again.

"It will hopefully wear off soon," Iroh said, and I just remembered he'd been standing there the whole time. He eventually walked to a barrel that had perfume bottles inside it and hid one in his sleeve. I rolled my eyes in disbelief.

Closing my eyes again, I tried to move my arms once more. Now would be a good time for Roku's help. Just as I thought this, I felt a rush of warmth shoot through my blood and smirked. _Thanks Roku._

Burning my rope with a weak flame, I moved my arms and got my body working again. With shaking limbs, I managed to get strength and movement back and stood. My family looked over at me with astonishment. "I'm going to help Aang," I said, using the building's side to support me as I started to fall.

"Maybe you should sit down a little longer," Katara said, but I was already pushing from the wall and going toward the battle in front of me. "Amber!" she called after me, but I was ready to fight. Aang, Zuko, and the giant beast were in a three way battle. As the beast was about to strike it's tongue at Aang, I ran over and lit a flame. Shooting it with all my might, I watched the fire hit the long tongue of the beast making it howl in pain.

June gasped when she saw what I'd done, then she growled and turned Nyla toward me. "You'll pay for hurting her! Get her Nyla!" The beast that still whimpered from the pain of my previous attack, turned toward me with utter fury and hatred. June smirked, then used her whip making the beast run toward me.

Lighting another flame, I backed up as the beast ran toward me. Then with all the power in me, I shot my fire at the ground and created a wall of flames. The feel of the heat and the smell of the fire made the beast back away with whimpers. June gasped, and I grinned increasing the flames. If I scared the beast enough then maybe she'd just run off.

"Steady Nyla! Don't be a coward!" June snapped at her pet. "Get her!" Nyla shook her head in fear, then whimpered again. As I watched with amusement that I was winning the battle, my eyes widened in shock. The red fire that was still a wall in front of me, suddenly changed color. Soon purple heated flames clouded my vision and my jaw dropped.

So I wasn't crazy! I could bend purple fire!

"Impossible!" June cried, pulling her beast back as I let my fire grow. From the corner of my eyes I saw Zuko and Aang had stopped fighting and looked over at me with amazement. Stopping my fire, I gasped and stared at my hands.

"Look out!" Katara suddenly screamed, and I looked up just in time to see June had recovered and Nyla was running toward me. Just as Nyla was about to grab me with her teeth, I watched with relief as Appa smashed into the beast hard sending both it and it's rider flying across the abbey courtyard.

As the fighting continued, I just stood there completely dumbfounded. Did Roku give me this ability, or was it something I'd developed on my own? "You are very powerful," Iroh suddenly said, and I turned and looked at him in surprise. He walked over to me as the sound of battle still echoed around us. "The only other person I can think of with colored fire is Azula."

"Why? How can I do this?" I asked, so surprised by this new ability.

Iroh took my hands in his familiar warm hold. "Because you are powerful. Only the most powerful fire benders have this ability."

Looking over at Zuko and Aang, I saw the Shirshu had recovered herself and was trying to hit Aang again with her tongue. At the same time Zuko was firing at Aang sometimes getting very close. "I should go help!" I cried, starting to run forward again. Iroh grabbed my arm to stop me.

"This isn't your fight. Your battle will come soon, but not today," Iroh said, pulling me back to the side of the building. "Just stay here." He almost seemed to be begging me to stay out of the fight. Sighing, I nodded and walked back over to my siblings, who to my surprise had found their legs. When I approached they looked at me with wide eyes.

"How'd you do that earlier? Is it another Roku thing?" Katara asked, grabbing onto my shoulder mostly so she wouldn't fall.

Shrugging, I said, "I'm just a freak."

Sokka would've said something to add to this, but he knew Aang's safety was more important. "There has to be a way to slow this beast down!" he cried.

Looking around, I smiled when he saw the barrels of perfume. "There is. We need to blind her!" Running over to the barrels, I saw my siblings shoot one another a look really confused. They shrugged however and joined me. With their help, and a few of the sisters from the abbey, we managed to dump the perfume onto the ground. Then Katara used her bending to spread the perfume through out the abbey.

Just as I predicted the beast began to look back and forth frantically, and at one point she knocked June off. Then the paralyzing tongue hit June and my brother. Iroh ran over to them as they both lied paralyzed on the ground.

"Let's get out of here!" Aang suddenly cried, hopping on Appa's saddle and pulling the reins to get Appa over to us. Sokka and Katara nodded, running over and getting on Appa.

As I was about to climb Appa's fur, I heard Zuko shout, "This isn't over Avatar! I'll have you and my sister! You'll all be mine soon!"

Looking over at him as he lied paralyzed on the ground, I yelled back suddenly annoyed with his words, "We're not property!" Then climbing onto Appa, I landed in the saddle beside Katara and Sokka. Immediately we flew up in the sky away from the abbey below.

After a good five minutes of sitting in silence, I looked over at Sokka with a smile. "So what made you guys decide to come back?"

Sokka sighed, "You were right. We'd made a promise to Aang, and leaving we felt terrible for breaking our promise. As much as we want to see dad, saving the world is much more important."

Katara added, "And it didn't feel right going to see dad without you. We knew he'd probably be disappointed we'd just abandoned you."

At her words I frowned a little. Would dad have cared? Now that I knew of my past, would he call me his daughter anymore? "Did you guys know dad knew about my past?" I asked, pulling my knees close to my chest.

Katara's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"Bato told me that he, dad, and the other warriors heard what the Fire Lord was doing to me. They found me on the ship they captured and took me in thinking they could use me as leverage in the future. I guess when dad found out I'd lost my memory he no longer saw me as a threat and treated me like the rest of you. He knew all along though. He knew the fire lord was my father, and yet he never told me," I said covering my eyes as tears fell.

Katara took my hand and gave it a squeeze. "Maybe he didn't tell you to protect you from yourself. If you knew who you really were, then you would've troubled over it as much as you do now. He wanted you to just grow up and be a normal kid."

A smile spread across my face. "Yeah... I guess your right."

Sokka scooted beside me and ruffled my hair making me wince. "Of course she's right. Although the normal kid part is way off. You're so not normal," he joked. "Especially now that you can bend purple fire."

Aang added in as I shoved Sokka's hand off my head, "That purple fire was amazing! You've got to be the most powerful firebender I've ever met! From a hundred years ago I only knew a few fire benders who could actually do something that amazing, and it's the first time I've ever seen purple fire. You're truly one of a kind Amber!"

A blush pulled at my cheeks and I muttered a thanks.

As Aang then revealed that he'd retrieved Katara's necklace, I lit a flame in my hands once more. Purple fire licked at my finger tips and I watched with a frown. If only the fire lord could see me now. Then he'd regret ever sending me away. I'd make Ozai wish he'd never tried to kill his daughter.

He'd get what he deserved soon.


	16. Old friend Part 1

Looking at a large notice board lit by the setting sun behind me, I stared at my wanted poster with amazement. It was below Aang's own wanted poster, and beside it was a poster of the blue spirit (a.k.a my brother in disguise). On my poster was a very good detailed drawing of me with a caption below it. _Young fire nation girl wanted for treason against fire lord. Bounty 3000 gold. Wanted alive._ My blood went cold. I was a wanted criminal now all because I was helping the avatar.

"This is not good! Not good at all," Sokka muttered, pacing back and forth with his finger on his chin in contemplation. "Not only does Aang have a wanted poster out for his arrest, but now Amber does too! This can't end well!"

Aang pulled a flyer off the notice board and showed it to Sokka. "Look Sokka! A Fire Days Festival! I bet we'll find something to eat here. Fire Nation cultural exhibits...jugglers, benders, magicians. This'd be a great place for me to study some real firebenders!"

Sokka slapped his forehead. "Have you heard anything I've said? You and Amber are wanted criminals! If people spot you and recognize you we could be captured and taken to the fire lord!"

Katara took Sokka's side. "I think we should keep moving."

Looking at my poster again, I said, "Last thing I want is to see my father again. I say we keep moving too." Looking at Aang, I saw he was about ready to come up with another excuse.

"I have to learn firebending at some point, and this could be my only chance to watch a master up close. Plus think of how much this will teach you Amber. You'll be able to walk among your own people again. Maybe it will bring some more memories from the past back!"

We all looked at Aang not sure what to do. His words made sense, but at the same time I wasn't sure if I wanted to remember more than I already knew. Plus I really didn't want to get captured and taken to my father.

"I guess we could check it out," Katara said, looking at both Sokka and I still unsure.

Sokka looked at her amazed. "What! You want to walk into a fire nation where they're all fired up with all their, you know, fire?!"

Katara smiled reassuringly. "We'll wear disguises and if it looks like trouble, we'll leave."

While Aang and Katara walked over to Appa to grab the cloaks, Sokka and I looked at one another unsure. "This is going to end badly, isn't it?" Sokka asked.

Nodding, I said, "Two wanted kids and their accomplices walking right into the hands of the fire nation. Of course this will end badly!"

We all put a cloak on except for Aang who just covered his head with his red shirt. We all stared at him not sure if we should tell him he looked ridiculous, but we eventually just let it go. Katara made sure my face was hidden enough so people wouldn't recognize me from my poster. "Great! The hood should give you some cover. Hopefully no one will see past it."

"They're fire nation Katara. I really don't think we can hide this very long," I said, seeing Sokka nod in agreement.

Aang flew between us with a smile. "Relax Amber! We'll just go for a few minutes, eat and enjoy some entertainment, and then we'll be on our way. Easy peasy!"

Sokka sighed. "Let's just get this over with." He then started to head toward the brightly lit fire nation village down the hill where music echoed and laughter rang. Aang looked back at Momo and Appa telling them to go hide, and they both hid behind a bush, totally noticeable. Katara looked like she wanted to say something, but Aang grabbed her hand pulling her down the hill with excitement.

Rolling my eyes, I looked back at Appa who was trying to hide behind a small bush. "Yeah… You guys are totally invisible," I muttered, then turned and went to catch up to the others.

By the time we reached the small fire nation village I was getting really nervous. What would happen if I was captured? What would father do to me?

Upon entering the fire nation village I immediately became astonished at what I saw. There was fire bending at every corner when we entered, and no one was watching the fire with fear. They were amazed by the moves the benders used, and children laughed as the fire circled their heads. Even though these people were fire nation, I expected them to be a little wary of the hot flames. Guess I really was a fire nation wimp compared to these people.

"I think we need some new disguises," Katara suddenly said, making me look over to see her glancing at the people around us who were wearing masks of scary spirit creatures. We eventually found a stand where we bought some masks. I declined saying I looked fire nation enough not to need one. Truth was I didn't want to wear the mask because I thought it was stupid we were here in the first place.

As my family ran off into the village separating, I decided to just go to a tea shop, sit down, and pretend to be having fun. Walking across the village, I ended up at a small tea shop called White Lily where I sat at a table. A young man my age walked over looking a little bored. Stopping at my table, I looked at him from below the hood of my cloak.

"Welcome to White Lily. What can I get you today?" he asked, reciting the same thing he must've said to all his customers. Looking up into his soft brown eyes, I felt a blush pull to my cheeks. He was really cute. He had sort of the figure Zuko had, but his muscles weren't as big. His hair was messy black and his skin was darker than most men in the fire nation. His expression caught my attention the most. It showed how bored he was of his life here, and as he waited for me to say something I wondered why he was working here in the first place.

"I'll just have jasmine. But don't heat it. I like my tea cold," I finally answered.

The boy nodded and went to leave, but as he did he stopped. Turning, he looked back at me with shock. I watched him confused, and I saw something flash across his eyes. It was almost a sign of wonder, as well as disbelief. As he was about to say something, I heard his boss shout across the restraint, "Kale! Stop standing around like an idiot and get your butt back to work. Just because the Fire Lord sent you here doesn't mean your higher up than everyone else!"

The boy winced, then turned and walked off toward the back of the shop to get my tea. As he went my eyes widened in shock: Kale? I knew that name…

_Laughing, my six year old self ran through the halls of the fire nation palace. "Amber! Stop before you get in trouble!" Zuko cried after me, and I looked back seeing him run a few yards behind._

_Grinning, I made a sharp turn shouting, "I live for trouble!" Just as I said this I felt myself crash into something hard sending the both of us falling to the ground. Gasping, I looked down at the warm thing I was on top of and my eyes widened. It was one of the servant boys, and I looked into his soft brown eyes that stared at me with amazement._

"_Sorry! Totally my fault!" I cried, getting off quickly and standing. It was then I noticed Zuko had caught up and watched the whole thing with disbelief._

_He looked up at me with terror, the servant boy, then immediately pulled his body into a bow on his hands and knees. "Forgive me my princess. I am truly sorry for my intrusion of your fun. I beg for your forgiveness!" He was trembling, and I watched with sad eyes. Zuko scoffed, muttering under his breath, "Filthy peasant"._

"_It's okay," I said, reaching down and grabbing the boys' arms pulling him to a stand. "It was my fault for not being more careful. I was the wrong one here." The boy looked at me with amazement, and then smiled kindly._

_Zuko muttered something about needing to get to dinner, but I ignored him as I spoke to the boy. "Do you live here at the palace? How come I've never seen you before?"_

_The boy smiled weakly looking away from my eyes. "I was taken in after my father died at war. I work for the palace cook."_

_Zuko grabbed my arm suddenly. "Amber. You shouldn't be talking to this palace trash. Azula says if you hang around peasants too long you'll be come one."_

_Yanking from my brother's hand, I glared at him. "Stop Zuko! You're being rude. Mom says that we should respect everyone, including the servants." Zuko glared at the boy, who immediately shrunk under my brothers piercing gaze. Then Zuko turned and left not wanting to deal with either of us anymore._

_Turning back to the boy, I said, "So what's your name?"_

_The boy was surprised. "No one's ever asked for my name before."_

_I frowned when he said this. "You do have one though, right?" He looked unsure if he should tell me, and I smiled reassuringly. "I promise I don't bite."_

_He smiled back. "It's Kale. My name's Kale, princess."_

"_At least call me Amber when no ones around. I hate being referred to as princess."_

_He lowered his head saying with regret. "I don't know... The servants are told never to even speak to royalty. They'll behead me if I call you by your name," he said._

_I tapped him on the shoulder and he looked up at me in confusion. "At least call me Amber when no one else is around. I promise you won't get in trouble."_

_He smiled again. "Okay, Amber." _

_Grinning, I threw my arms around him making him freeze in shock. "I hope we can become best friends, Kale!" Kale relaxed under my hold and hugged me back. _

_When we pulled apart, Kale said with joy, "I've never had a friend my age before! I'm so happy!" _

_I beamed with utter relief. "I'm glad." Then holding my hand out I said, "Friends forever?"_

_He took it and we shook on it. "Definitely friends forever."_

Gasping, I was brought back to present and looked at my hand with shock. Friends forever?

Suddenly a cup was placed in front of me, and I looked back up at my old friend from the past. I remembered everything about him now. I remembered everything we did in the past together. Playing pranks on Zuko and Azula... Sneaking out at night to go watch the stars... Making faces at the palace guards. I remembered him. Kale… My best friend.

"Enjoy your tea miss," he said, trying to see past the shadow of my cloak again.

Thanking him, I took the cup and sipped it with a smile. He backed away slowly, but I saw him still trying to see underneath my hood. Then eventually he sighed, muttering under his breath, "Stop believing in the impossible," and then he turned and walked over to another table.

Poor Kale… He probably thought I was dead too. More than anything I wanted to tell him, but I didn't want to let my cover down. If word got around who I was, every guard in this village would be after me.

After finishing my tea and leaving a gold piece on the table, I left with a sigh. I wished Kale and I could be friends again, but our lives became too torn apart for any of that.

Finding my family again, I saw Sokka was engaged in the hot and spicy food being served. Aang was jumping from performer to performer analyzing the moves and watching with utter amazement. Katara seemed to be enjoying herself too, running from stall to stall checking out all the amazing fire nation jewels and souvenirs.

Walking over to Katara, I asked, "Having fun?"

She turned in surprise, and then she grinned. "The fire nation really knows how to throw a festival!"

Nodding, I watched as she ran to another stall staring at some handcrafted necklaces. Smiling at her spirit, I turned and walked toward a bench across the village. Sitting, I pulled my knees to my chest and watched fire nation people of all kind run by with carefree expressions. It was odd being among my own people again, and I kind of enjoyed it in some ways.

"Hey you!" I jumped and looked over to see Kale running toward me. He held something in his hands. "You're going to get me in trouble! You over paid me by at least fifty copper pieces!"

Staring at him with amazement, I wasn't sure what to say. I paid him with the only money I had in my pocket at the time. I thought he'd be more appreciative than angry. "Uh… Sorry. It's the only money I had. Keep the left over for a tip or something."

He got right in front of me then, dropping the gold piece in my lap. "Look. I appreciate the offer, but my boss will kill me if I accept this. Just take the money back and I'll pay for your tea," he muttered, then turned to leave.

"Wait Kale!" I shouted, jumping up with my gold piece. "Don't," I began, seeing him look at me with astonishment. "Just give me a second and I'll go find the right-"

"You just said my name," Kale suddenly said, looking at me with disbelief. "How'd you-"

"Your boss shouted it earlier," I quickly covered. "I have a good memory." This part almost made me laugh to myself. My memory sucked.

Kale suddenly got right in front of me to the point where only an inch of air was between us. He towered me by at least three inches, so I felt as if his shadow spread across me. "Who are you?" he asked, grabbing my shoulders firmly. "I feel like I know you from somewhere, but I can't put my finger on it."

Trying to pull from his grasp, I said with utter regret, "You must be crazy. I've never met you in my life." He didn't look like he was buying it at all, and he began to grab my hood to throw it off my head. Just as he did, I saw another hand reach out to stop Kale from doing so.

"Don't touch my sister," Sokka hissed, and I was surprised to find him standing beside me. His mask was still on, but underneath I could only assume he looked ready to beat Kale to a pulp.

Turning to my brother, I said, "Calm down. We were just talking. He didn't mean any harm."

Sokka scoffed letting go of Kale's hand. "From the way I saw it he looked like he was hurting you."

Kale immediately bowed with guilt. "Forgive me. I never meant to do your sister any harm. I was so blinded by the hope that she'd be a certain someone from my past. I can see now I was terribly wrong in my assumptions."

My eyes clouded with tears. Kale looked so lost, frustrated, and almost ready to cry himself. Turning to Sokka, I saw him look at me with question. Smiling weakly, I turned back to Kale saying, "It's okay. It was my fault for not being more careful. I was the wrong one here for leading you on. I hope one day you find this someone you are searching for."

Kale's eyes widened and he looked at me with complete and utter disbelief. Turning to Sokka, I grabbed my brothers' hand pulling him away from Kale. As we walked off I tossed the gold piece back at him. "Keep it for yourself as my way of saying sorry. I promise you won't get in trouble."

Sokka shot me a look of utter confusion as we rounded the corner leaving my old best friend behind.

**Kale POV**

Another day at the tea shop, another day of nothing. More than anything I wouldn't have minded working at the palace again. The cook their at least let me try my own recipes, and I'd even earned favor from the fire lord. Sighing, I scrubbed another tea cup and placed it with the clean ones in the small kitchen area I worked in. The fire nation festival was happening tonight, and I knew business in the shop would be slow. No one wanted tea on these days. It was usually ale and cactus juice.

A small smile spread across me as I cleaned another cup. Amber was always one for festivals. A memory shot across my mind of about two months before her disappearance. We'd snuck out of the palace together one summer night to go check out the festival in town. I remembered Amber's amazing smile as she watched the fire benders throw marvelous flames in the air. Her laughter rang through me and I could see her in my mind, grab my little hand and pull me into the middle of the village square. We danced to our hearts content, laughing and smiling as if everything around us was just right.

Amber… No matter how young I was at the time, I knew that I loved her. The princess of the fire nation had made a permanent mark on my heart. She was the first person to actually accept me for who I truly was. Her kind and caring nature lifted my worn and broken spirit showing me what true happiness meant.

The day I learned she was missing and probably dead, I felt as if a hole had been burned into my chest. My best friend was gone, and I felt so lost without her.

Sighing again, I placed another teacup down and realized I'd washed them all. Time sure flies when your mind is too clouded by pain.

Yes it had been nine years, but I could never ever get over her. She was my sun. She kept me strong during our friendship in the fire nation. After she vanished, I only kept living in the hope that one day I'd see her bright shining face again. I prayed to the spirits every night that Amber would come back to me.

"Kale! There's a young lady out there waiting to be served!" Giro shouted from the door of the kitchen. The fire lord sent me to this village a year ago to work for Giro, saying he had too many workers in the palace at the time. It wasn't all bad working here. It just meant that if Amber did return, I wouldn't be able to see her.

Walking out of the kitchen, I walked through the shop toward a figure sitting at one of our tables. She was wearing a black cloak and hiding her face underneath a hood. It was really odd to me, and I wondered what she was hiding from everyone.

She stared at me from what I could tell beneath her hood, and I caught a small glimpse of gold eyes. So she was a firebender… Not really something that needed to be hidden. "Welcome to White Lily. What can I get you today?"

She just stared at me for a good minute, and I wondered if I had something on my face. It might have just been because I was good looking. Giro said I had a thing for attracting women to this shop. Looking at the girl, I kind of wished I could see her face, just to know the expression she had on it.

"I'll just have jasmine. But don't heat it. I like my tea cold," she said.

Nodding, I turned to leave muttering in my head 'Cold tea. This chick's as bad as Amber'. I remember whenever Amber would come into the kitchen at the palace she'd always ask for cold jasmine tea. I told her she was weird when we were later alone, and she'd punch me in the gut. It's so odd how Amber actually wasn't the only one with this strange taste.

As I had walked a few feet away from the table I froze. Cold Jasmine tea…

Looking back at her with shock, I stared beneath her hood trying to see the hidden face. It couldn't be could it? Amber was dead. At least the fire lord said she was dead. We even had a memorial service for her six months after her disappearance. What if she never died though? Could she have been alive all along, and was this girl in front of me really her?

"Kale! Stop standing around like an idiot and get your butt back to work. Just because the Fire Lord sent you here doesn't mean your higher up than everyone else," Giro shouted across the tea shop, and I quickly snapped out of my thought process. Turning, I walked away to go prepare her tea. As I walked away I looked back to see the girl staring at the table now, and I saw her fist clenched as if she was fighting something.

Sighing, I walked to the back of the shop and started to prepare her cold tea. As I put the jasmine leave in the water, I suddenly heard Giro walk into the room. He was a short old guy with a long mustache. "Oh Kale… The guards stopped by today and dropped this flyer off. They want us to be on the lookout for some fire nation traitor."

He placed the paper down on the counter beside me, and I looked at it curiously. To my shock, it was a drawing of a girl no older than sixteen. She looked beautiful from the drawing, and I wondered how someone so beautiful could be worth so much money. Three thousand gold shillings? This chick must have done something terrible. Looking back at the drawing again, I had an odd feeling building in my gut.

"This girl... Did they say what she did?" I asked Giro, staring down at the paper.

He shrugged. "Something about being an accomplice to the avatar… Rumor has it that she was raised in the South Pole and has been brainwashed by the water tribe."

My eyes widened at this. The South Pole! What was a fire nation girl doing at the South Pole?

"Hey… Don't you have a customer to serve?" Giro suddenly asked.

Still thinking about the traitor, I picked up her finished cup of tea and walked back to the table she sat at. She was still staring at the wood of the table, and for a moment I saw from the flash of the candle light a tear slide down her cheek. Placing the cup down in front of her, I watched her jump and look back at me. Trying to see her face beneath her hood, I noticed something flash across her eyes. Was it pain?

"Enjoy your tea miss," I said.

She said softly, "Thank you." Then she took her tea and began to drink it.

Backing away from her, I tried once more to see her complexion underneath the hood. Who was this mysterious girl? A thought came across me. What if she was the traitor the fire nation was searching for? Or even better… What if secretly, in some impossible way, this was Amber?

Quickly I winced at the thought and shoved it out of my mind. "Stop believing in the impossible," I muttered to myself, then turned and left the girl just wanting to stop thinking all together. Amber was probably dead. This girl was probably just some traveler with a secret that had nothing to do with Amber.

Sighing as I went into the back room, I pulled something out from my pocket. It was a purple rock that I'd kept in my possession for many years. My mind took me back to the day she found it.

"_Amber! Let's head back in. The sun will be rising soon and we both will get in trouble if were not where were supposed to be," I begged, standing at the edge of the palace pond where I anxiously watched my best friend stand in ankle deep water._

"_Chill out Kale. I told you I'd find you the perfect present for your birthday and I will," Amber said, picking up what felt like the fiftieth stone._

_Sighing, I plopped down cross legged and rested my chin on my hand watching her. Her night dress was getting soaked by the pond, and I saw her long black hair dripping water. No matter what I said to her she wouldn't leave the pond until she fulfilled her mission. _

_After another hour of searching, Amber let out a frustrated groan and looked up at the moon above. "Come on spirits! I want to do something for Kale, to show him how much he means to me! Just help me out. Please!"_

_Rolling my eyes, I muttered, "Here we go talking to the spirits again." Just as I said this, I suddenly saw Amber turn to me with a smile. Her figure lit up from the light of the moon, and her hands were out holding something in her hand. She laughed and ran out of the pond falling beside me and hiding what she had behind her back._

_What just happened? Did I miss something?_

"_Hold out your hand," she said with a grin._

_Not wanting to refuse her gift, I held my hand out and she dropped something warm and small in it. Looking down at my hand, I saw from the light of the moon an amazing purple rock that almost seemed to glow. It was so amazing, one of a kind, and the best gift anyone had ever given to me._

"_This was in the pond?" I asked with amazement. _

_She laughed. "No silly. Roku gave it to me." She then grabbed my hand making me tighten my fist around the rock. "He said that whenever the stone is warm or begins to glow, it means that I'm nearby. Think of it as a way of me always being with you."_

_Smiling widely, I exclaimed, "This is the best gift anyone's ever given to me. Thank you."_

_She grabbed me into a hug. "Anything for my best friend... Happy birthday Kale!"_

Looking down at the stone, I smiled weakly as I felt its warmth and watched it glow. How I missed Amber so much. Sighing, I went to put the stone back in my pocket but froze. Yanking it back out I stared at it with wide eyes. It was glowing, and it was warm! No… It couldn't be! Running back out into the shop I looked straight at the table hoping the girl would be there. She was gone, leaving only an empty tea cup and a gold shilling.

As I stared at the empty seat at the table, I felt the stone in my hand lose temperature once more. No way… No way…

Looking back toward the kitchen, I heard Gizo whistling in the back. Picking up the coin, I clutched it in my hand. I was going to find out the truth. I wasn't going to rest till I saw who was under that hood.

"The costumer left something! I'll be back as soon as I find her!" I said.

Gizo shouted, "Pick up some fire flakes while you're gone! I could go for some!"

Rolling my eyes I took off in the direction I'd hoped she'd gone. After aimlessly searching for a good ten minutes I turned a corner and saw her. She was sitting on a wooden bench watching as people walked by. Her knees were pulled to her chest, and I swore by the light of the torches I saw a smile beneath her hood.

"Hey you!" I shouted, running forward. The stone in my hand burned as I got closer and closer to this mysterious girl. Either my stone was just going crazy, or the spirits were trying to tell me something. I truly prayed it was the spirits. "You're going to get me in trouble! You over paid me by at least fifty copper pieces." Okay, so I was exaggerating, but what I said was mostly true. This chick paid me way too much for my comfort.

She looked in my direction and I saw her hands tighten again. "Uh… Sorry. It's the only money I had. Keep the left over for a tip or something." Her voice seemed very nervous and scared, as if she was worried I'd figure her out. If this was really Amber, then why was she hiding from me?

"Look. I appreciate the offer, but my boss will kill me if I accept this. Just take the money back and I'll pay for your tea," I said, dropping the coin in her lap and then turning to leave. Okay… Another exaggeration, but I thought that if I pressured her enough she'd somehow crack.

As I walked away, I felt the stone cool the farther I got from this strange girl.

"Wait Kale!" The girl shouted. My whole body froze and I turned in shock. She was standing now, and her hood fell back slightly revealing a fraction of her face. "Don't… Just give me a second and I'll go find the right-"

"You just said my name," I interrupted, my eyes wide as my heart ached. Was it really her? Was Amber truly under that shadowed mask. "How'd you-"

"Your boss shouted it earlier. I have a good memory," she said. I narrowed my eyes. This chick was lying through her teeth. My heart was dying to know who this mystery was under this cloak. Walking up to her, I got close enough so I towered over her a little.

"Who are you?" I asked, grabbing her shoulders desperate to know if it was true. Was Amber really here, right in front of me? Was she alive after all? My best friend… My shining sun… "I feel like I know you from somewhere, but I can't put my finger on it."

The girl tried to pull from me, and I felt my heart crack in two. If this truly was Amber, then why did she want away from me so badly? Unless… Unless she lost her memory or something and had no recollection of me!

No Kale! Don't think that!

"You must be crazy. I've never met you in my life." She said, but I heard the lie in her voice. She did know me. It had to be her! Amber!

Without being able to stop myself, I reached for her hood with utter desire. If I could just see her face, then I had a feeling it would all become clear. If I could just see her face...

A firm hand suddenly grabbed my wrist, and I was yanked from the girl with a hard threatening grip. "Don't touch my sister," a male voice hissed, and I looked at our intruder with shock. He was wearing a mask for the fire days festival, but I knew the tint of his skin sure wasn't fire nation.

The girl suddenly turned to her brother saying, "Calm down. We were just talking. He didn't mean any harm."

The older boy scoffed. "From the way I saw it he looked like he was hurting you."

Watching the two siblings in front of me, I felt as if all my dreams went down the drain. This girl had a brother who definitely wasn't Prince Zuko. How stupid had I been, chasing after a ghost from my past? Stupid rock!

Immediately I bowed in deep and utter regret. "Forgive me. I never meant to do your sister any harm. I was so blinded by the hope that she'd be a certain someone from my past. I can see now I was terribly wrong in my assumptions." I felt terrible, and I even noticed water begin to build in my eyes. Why did I want to cry so badly? Lifting my head, I saw something fall down the girl's cheek. She was crying too.

She smiled weakly, saying with a guarded voice, "It's okay. It was my fault for not being more careful. I was the wrong one here for leading you on. I hope one day you find this someone you are searching for."

Then she turned and took her brothers hand leaving. As she did I watched her go with shock, disbelief, and bewilderment. She'd just sounded so much like Amber. Not just with the words she used, but with the way she spoke it. She was utterly sincere.

Suddenly she threw the coin back at me and I caught it. "Keep it for yourself as my way of saying sorry. I promise you won't get in trouble." As she walked away, the stone in my hand got colder, and the coin felt heavier and heavier, I knew. It was her… It was Amber… She was alive, and she did remember me. I could tell from what she said. It was the same words she spoke to me so many years ago, when I first met her.

Amber was just right in front of me… My best friend… The one girl I never gave up on… The one girl I loved more than anyone.

"I've found you," I whispered. "I've finally found you."

**Amber POV**

"Can we just drop it," I muttered, walking beside Sokka as we headed toward the center of the village where Katara and Aang were waiting for us.

Sokka had taken off his mask some time ago and threw it on the ground. He was a little aggravated at Kale and I was glad the mask was what he took his anger out on.

Sokka looked at me then and snapped, "No we can't just drop it! Who was that fire nation dude? You acted like you knew him!"

Sighing, I looked away as I answered, "It's complicated. My memories are still really hazy, but I think that Kale and I use to be best friends."

Sokka slapped his forehead. "I knew coming to this village was a bad idea. Now you're meeting people again from your past everywhere you go. We have to leave this village before fire nation soldiers find you ou-"

Katara and Aang suddenly ran over to us, both of them panting loudly. It was then I noticed Aang's mask was off and so was Katara's. "We have to get out of here! They found out about Aang!"

My eyes widened, and I looked at a group of guards headed our way. They were holding spears and running toward us with narrowed eyes. Throwing my hood back after deciding there was no need for it anymore, I turned to my family. "I say we run."

"No disagreeing with you there," Aang said.

We were just about to take off when we suddenly heard a man's voice shout, "Follow me! I can get ya out of here!"

We all turned to see a man standing in the shadows. Katara and Aang didn't even give us the chance to discuss it over, because they were already running toward the man. When we all reached the scruffy looking thirty year old man, he quickly gestured for us to run down an ally and lit a smoke bomb throwing it at the guards. He managed to give us some cover as we ran away from the shouts of the guards.

It seemed like forever that we ran down allies and across the square of the village. Eventually we ran down another ally but the guards saw us this time. "Over there!" One of them shouted.

We were at a dead end now, and turning we saw the guards had approached and blocked our exit. Now we were in deep trouble. Looking back at Aang, I said, "Time to call for Appa now."

"Oh yeah!" he exclaimed, then took out a bison whistle and blew into it.

"I hope he can really hear the bison whistle!" Sokka shouted, getting in front of me and Katara to protect us from the guards.

"Follow me!" The man helping us shouted again, and then threw another smoke bomb. As it exploded blinding the guards we ran around them and turned another corner. This one was a dead end too, and we all gasped turning to see the guards had managed to find us again.

A groan was heard above us suddenly, and we all sighed with relief when we saw Appa. He landed between us and the guards using his powerful tail to shoot a gust of air and send the men flying. "Everyone on!" I shouted, and we all climbed onto Appa's saddle.

As we took off the man with us threw another bomb into a wooden crate of fireworks and they shot into the sky creating beautiful sparks. It was enough of a distraction for us to fly away and no get shot at by flames.

As we flew toward the forest, I finally fell back on the saddle out of breath. Too much had happened today. First I had a wanted poster out for my arrest, then I ran into my best friend from the past Kale, and now we were on the run from the fire nation again!

"Nice touch setting off fireworks," Aang complimented to the man. Sitting back up, I looked at the rough looking man with dark brown eyes and wondered who exactly this guy was.

"You seem to really know explosives," Sokka added, looking at the man suspiciously.

The man looked over at my brother with a smile. "I'm familiar."

"You're a fire nation soldier!" Sokka suddenly shouted.

The man nodded. "Was… My names Chey."

My eyes widened and my jaw dropped. Looking at the man sitting in front of me I was utterly speechless. This was the guy that helped save my life so many years ago on that fire nation vessel. The man who stood up for me when no one else would… The rookie soldier Chey!

"No way! It can't really be you!" I exclaimed, but after looking at his face I knew it was him. He looked stronger than what I remembered, he was older, but his eyes were still kind.

He looked at me in shock. "Do I know you?" My family looked over at me with question.

"It's me… The girl you saved nine years ago," I said.

His eyes widened at my words. "Princess Amber?"

I nodded. Chey looked at me with utter relief. "I'm so glad the water tribe didn't roast you!"

His words almost made me laugh. Smiling at him, I told him all about the water tribe and how they took me in. Eventually Katara asked how I knew this guy and I had to tell everyone else how Chey was the guy who saved me. It was so strange how in one night I'd met two people from my past.

When we made camp later that night, Chey told us his story. He told us how he disagreed with the war after everything that happened to me, and he and a few rebels joined together with a powerful man named Jeong Jeong.

"You should know him princess. He taught the fire lords children all they needed to know about fire bending. Ozai picked him specifically for the task," Chey said.

Though he told me I should remember, I actually had no clue what he was talking about. I couldn't remember a man teaching me fire bending. It never struck my mind about how I first came to know fire bending.

"Sorry… I don't remember," I said.

He looked at me in amazement. Katara immediately spoke for me. "Amber lost her memory when the water tribe saved her from Zhao's ship. She's still not able to remember everything from her past." He looked surprised by this, but didn't comment on it.

Aang suddenly said, "If Jeong Jeong's as great as Chey says he is, then maybe I should meet him. This might be my one chance of ever getting to learn fire bending from a master."

"What about me… Am I chopped liver?" I asked, somewhat offended.

He looked at me with realization at what he'd said. "Oh… It's nothing against you Amber! It's just you learned fire bending on your own, and I think it's better for me to find someone-"

Sighing, I muttered, "Never mind Aang. Don't worry about it."

Sokka snapped, "Aang's gonna have to learn from Amber, because there's no way were going to meet some crazy fire bender."

Sighing, I stood and walked away from the group as they argued. Truth was I was a little upset at what Aang said. He didn't want to learn fire bending from me because I didn't have the opportunity to train like other fire benders out there. It's not my fault though. Growing up in the South Pole you don't have a lot of fire bending teachers.

Something suddenly grabbed me from behind, and as I tried to scream a gloved hand muffled me. Struggling in my strong captors hold, I watched with terror as more figures emerged from the shadows of the forest.

"Take her to Jeong Jeong. He wants to meet her," A deep voice ordered, and I felt the man restraining me begin to drag me away from the campsite. I heard my family still talking to Chey, completely oblivious I was being taken. Trying to kick and twist from my restrainers hold, I felt my blood racing. Where were these people taking me? Why did Jeong Jeong want to see me so bad?

The man yanked me pulling me along, and I tightened my fists dying to just burn this dude so he'd let me go. This whole getting captured thing was getting really annoying.

***Second part coming soon… =)***


	17. Old friend part 2

The man held a hand over my mouth during our whole walk through the forest. Eventually we arrived at an area where by the light of the moon I saw at least five straw huts.

The man let my mouth go finally, and I gasped breathing in hard. Then I snapped, "Who are you guys? What do you want with me?"

The man ignored my questions and forced me down a steep hill toward a large hut in the middle of the forest clearing. There was a river just another thirty yards down the hill.

Shoving me through the hut's open door, I found myself in a dark room where three candles were lit. "Sir… We have the girl, just as you requested." It was then I noticed a man sitting cross legged on the ground, his hand hovering over one of the candles making the fire almost appear to dance.

"And what of Chey… Did you bring that foolish man back?" the guy I assumed to be Jeong Jeong asked, his back still turned.

The man who still grasped my forearm, said, "He found the avatar just as you predicted and told him about you. The others are bringing them now."

Jeong Jeong sighed, "Of course he did. I'll tell you when I'm ready for him." The man holding onto me nodded, then turned and left. Rubbing my forearm from where it was sore, I looked at the man from the shadows. Maybe if I just backed out slowly, then I could leave.

Fire suddenly lit up behind me and I gasped turning to see a wall of flames blocking my exit. Backing from the hot wall, I knew immediately escape was impossible unless I used my bending to extinguish the flames. That was actually a good idea now that I thought about it. "Don't do it girl… No matter how powerful you are, I will just create another wall. You're not leaving until we've talked."

Turning in shock, I saw the man had stood and from the light of the fire around me I saw his appearance. His hard gold eyes looked into my own and I gasped as another memory struck my mind.

"_No! No good!" A man shouted, walking past a seven year old Prince Zuko, and a five year old Princess Azula. Looking up with terrified eyes, my six year old self backed away with fear. "We've been over this a hundred times Amber! Widen your stance! Do you ever want to produce a flame?"_

_Looking at the late forty year old man with graying messy hair and a scar on his right eye, I fell on my knees in exhaustion. "I can't do it master Jeong Jeong!"_

_Jeong Jeong hovered over me glaring down. "Can't… Or won't?"_

_Tears fell down my cheeks onto the grass in the field we stood in. "I don't want to fire bend. I'm scared of hurting someone."_

_Jeong Jeong knelt in front of me and I looked at him shaking. "Fire is not always a weapon child. It is warmth, light, and it has a life of its own. You do not just fire bend to create destruction. You fire bend to create power and life. If you practice control and self-discipline then fire can be controlled, and no one will get hurt."_

_Looking at the old man, I smiled weakly and nodded. He gave me his hand and helped me back to a stand. "Now let's try again. Get in the proper stance, and breath."_

_As I did so, I heard Azula hiss to me, "Stop being a coward you freak, or I'll tell daddy."_

"_Azula! You're not breathing!" Jeong Jeong shouted. My sister jumped and turned, getting back into her stance. _

My eyes went wide and I backed away from the man who was once my teacher. He was older than I remembered and his hair was fully gray now- or more white. He had to at least be turning sixty.

"You've been getting into a lot of trouble haven't you? When I saw your wanted poster earlier I couldn't believe my own eyes. You do realize that the whole fire nation believes you to be dead," he spoke calmly.

So he knew who I was… Smiling weakly, I answered, "Not everyone actually… My father, brother, and Zhao are pretty aware I'm alive. Zhao told my dad, but he probably hasn't told anyone else. I wasn't exactly supposed to survive the South Pole's frigid waters, so I'm sure dad wants to keep the news a secret."

Jeong Jeong narrowed his eyes at me, and immediately I frowned. Okay… No more talking…

"I'm aware of what occurred at the South Pole. Chey told me all about the water tribe saving you. When I heard this I wasn't sure if I should believe him or not. The man's not a hundred percent right in the head. None of this is why you're here though," he said.

When I went to ask him why I was here, I suddenly screamed as he threw a flame right at me. Ducking, I fell to the floor of the hut with a 'oof'. Regaining myself, I stood with wide eyes. "What was that for?!" I cried, but another flame came my way.

Fine! I guess this was a fight now.

Catching the fire in my hands, I let it become my own and sure enough purple flames enveloped Jeong Jeong's previous orange. With annoyance I shot my purple fire at this man and his eyes widened as it flew toward him. He tried to catch it, but it sent his feet sliding a good foot. When he had the flame under his control again it returned to orange.

He extinguished the flame then, and smiled pleased at what had just occurred. "So the rumors spoke true. When I heard about this fire nation traitor helping the avatar, and I discovered this girl could create purple fire, I couldn't believe my ears. I just had to see it for myself. In all my years, I've never seen anyone bend fire in the color you use. Purple flames are rare to this world, and at some points impossible to create without some type of chemical."

"You're kind of going scientist on me," I muttered, relaxing from my fighting stance. "What does this have to do with anything though? So I can bend purple fire… I'm sure it's not that big of a deal."

My old fire bending teacher suddenly broke the distance between us so we were only about half a foot apart. "You are a big deal Amber. This fire is not natural. The only way I can think this to be possible is if the spirits gave you this ability."

Sighing, I said, "They probably did. Roku gives me a lot of random abilities here and there."

"Roku?" Jeong Jeong asked. "As in Avatar Roku?" Looking at him, I nodded. "Impossible," he whispered. "How can you communicate with him? Only the avatar has ability to communicate with the spirit world!"

At once I put my hand with the bracelet behind my back. The less Jeong Jeong knew the better. Looking back at the entrance, I saw the wall of fire was down and the man keeping me here was in deep thought. If I took off running, would I get far? This guy was a master.

Backing up slightly, I wondered just how far I could get without him noticing. "So somehow you are linked with Avatar Roku. I always knew there was something special about you out of your brother and sister. I just never thought it would be that you're a connection to the greatest fire bender known to man. You truly were holding back so much potential during our lessons at the palace."

Backing away some more, I said, "I was holding back because I didn't like fire bending. It was and still is a dangerous element to me. Growing up in the water tribe I became jealous of my water bending sister because her element was so… I don't know… Non-violent."

He rolled his eyes. "I've seen some mighty powerful water benders princess, and believe me, they can be violent."

"First," I began, almost to the door and my freedom. "Don't call me princess, and second, maybe they were violent because you were throwing fire at them."

He seemed amused by what I'd said. "You've truly grown up. Not only do you have enough courage to back talk me, but you're willing to take pointless chances to try and accomplish something." I was confused by his second statement, but when one of his men suddenly came in behind me and shoved me forward again, I immediately got the point. He knew of my escape plan all along.

"Sir… The others arrived with Chey," the rebel warrior said, and I turned to give him a glare. He didn't even blink under my gaze.

"Good. Only bring Chey. Last thing I need is the Avatar begging me to train him," Jeong Jeong ordered. As the dude left to go retrieve Chey, I looked at him confused.

"Why won't you teach Aang?" I asked.

Jeong Jeong looked at me hard. "You can't just skip around the elements. The avatar must master air, then water, then earth, and then fire last. It can't be any other way. It is a cycle that has been sacred for many years. The avatar can't learn fire until he masters the other two elements."

That does make sense.

Suddenly the rebel guy was back, and this time he had brought Chey with him. Chey waved at me saying, "Oh, there you are. Your brother and sister were worried, but I assured them you were probably just chilling with Jeong Jeong."

"Enough Chey," Jeong Jeong snapped. Then he turned to the guy behind Chey. "Take the girl back to her family and make sure the avatar and his friends have a place to stay for the night. In the morning I want them gone before the avatar gets any foolish ideas."

As the guy grabbed my arm to pull me out of the building, Jeong Jeong said, "You are very powerful child. I'm sorry I did not see this when you were younger."

Then I was pulled out of the hut, and taken back to my family.

**Kale POV**

"Are you sure they'll even let you join?" Giro said, chewing on his fire flakes. "If what you say is true, and these kids are water tribe, then they probably aren't fans of the fire nation."

Sighing, I placed another shirt into my pack and tossed in the money I'd been saving up. "I'm tired of this life Giro. I can't just sit here anymore feeling like trash the fire lord threw out. I want to make something of myself, and I feel like these kids can do that for me."

"You just want to go after that girl," Giro said, smirking when he saw my cheeks go red. "My young pupil is in love."

Glaring at him, I said, "Yes, okay! It's the girl. But can you blame me?"

"No. I guess if it was my long lost childhood friend I'd be chasing after her too," he said. "Go on and find these kids. If they don't accept you then you're always welcome back here. You're much better than the other workers. They're all idiots."

Rolling my eyes, I threw my bag over my shoulder. "Then I guess that should make me feel good about myself." Bowing to Giro, I said, "Thank you for everything. I'll never forget you sir."

Giro laughed. "Of course not! I'm too amazing to be forgotten!" Smiling, I turned and began to leave. "Good luck Kale! Don't let her slip away again!"

As I walked away from the tea shop, I smiled weakly. Never again would I let her slip away. I couldn't protect her in the past because I was weak, but now I was ready. My hand went to the dagger I had tied to my belt. One of the workers at the tea shop gave it to me and taught me how to use it. I was stronger now, and I was prepared to fight by Amber's side to protect her.

"So the avatar and the fire nation traitor were here, and you let them slip away?" A familiar voice snapped as I turned around the corner toward the village square. To my shock, I saw General Zhao with a bunch of his men, surrounding the guards that worked at the village.

"Yes sir, but other than that the festival went off without a hitch. No fights, theft was down," one of the guards said.

The man I knew from the palace, Zhao, looked annoyed. "I don't care about your local crime rates! Which way did they go?"

The guard pointed east. "They headed into the forest. Up the river I suspect."

Zhao snapped at his men, "Ready the river boats. We're going after the avatar and the girl!"

My eyes widened then. Was he talking about Amber? If so what was Amber doing with the avatar of all people?

Turning, I made my way toward the village wall. Using a vine hanging from the stone, I climbed up it and then fell to the ground on the other side. Catching myself, I took off toward the river hoping this girl Zhao spoke of truly was Amber.

**Amber POV**

"So he just started attacking you?" Katara asked in amazement. We were seated inside one of the huts, Aang and Sokka already fast asleep. Aang had somehow convinced Jeong Jeong to teach him fire bending in the morning. How he did that I'll never know.

Sighing, I pulled my knees to my chest. "Yeah… He just wanted to see my purple fire I guess."

Katara nodded, her chin rested on her knees as she stared at the one candle lit in the hut. "The guy sounds nuts… But that's not what's really on your mind," she said, looking at me with burning curiosity.

Frowning, I felt my eyes burn as more tears wanted to fall. "It's Kale…"

"Kale?" She asked, looking at me now with shock.

Smiling weakly, I said, "Back at the fire nation palace, there was a servant boy who worked in the kitchen serving tea. One day I met this boy and we both just clicked. We hung out every night in secret, making sure no one ever found out. It was forbidden for a princess to even talk to a servant boy. When I talked to Kale though, I didn't care. He was the one thing I looked forward to in that dark and fearful place."

My sister looked sorry. "Did this memory just come to you? You've never mentioned this before."

Frowning, I said, "I saw him today. He was in the village working at one of the local tea shops. When I saw those amazing brown eyes the memory came to me and I couldn't stop staring at him. He was my best friend at the palace." Pressing my face to my knees, I muttered, "I was a jerk to him today. He was catching on but I didn't want him getting involved in any of this. He probably thinks I hate him."

Katara hugged me. "You did the right thing. We're on a dangerous mission, and if he came he'd just get hurt." Nodding, I felt her pull away. "We better get some sleep. We have to make sure Aang doesn't hurt himself tomorrow."

As we both lied back on the mats we were given, Katara blew out the candle and darkness surrounded us. As I listened to the calm breathing of my family while they slept, I turned over and closed my eyes. However images of Kale continued to cloud my mind and I knew sleep would be impossible tonight.

After about three hours of trying to sleep and failing, I sighed and got off my mat. Tiptoeing around my family, I made my way out of the hut and down toward the river.

When I got to the bank I plopped down in the dirt and closed my eyes listening to the water as it drifted by. My hand went up to the spot where I once had a scar. Why was Roku giving me so much? What plans did this dude have for me?

Sighing, I opened my eyes and pulled something out of my pocket. From the light of the moon I stared down at the portrait of my family king Bumi had given me so many weeks ago. Wonder what father would think of me now, knowing his daughter was probably the most powerful fire bender in the world. If I hadn't been so scared to fire bend when I was younger, would I still be living at the palace to this day?

"Can't sleep?" A voice asked, and I jumped in surprise only to see it was Sokka.

Sighing, I turned back and looked at the water again, putting my family's portraitaway. "No… I have too much on my mind."

Sokka sighed, and then sat beside me cross legged. "Yeah… I heard you and Katara talking earlier. So this guy from the village… He really means a lot to you?"

Pulling my knees to my chest again, I said, "I don't know why I feel this way. A part of me thinks I know him, while a part of me has no clue who he is. Whenever I see his face, this feeling comes over me and I want to run over and give him a big hug, but something's holding me back. Almost like I'm scared he won't accept me after I tell him my story."

Sokka let out a hard breath. "I can see you like this guy Amber… You like him a lot… But I don't think it's a good idea to be with him. He's still fire nation no matter how you see it. He could be with you one day, and then stab you in the back the next."

Pressing my face to my knees, I felt a tear fall down my cheek. "I don't think he'd do that… I know Kale wouldn't do something like that to me. From what I remember he was the nicest, sincerest, and most loving friend I'd ever had. He always watched my back at the palace and I always watched his."

"People change," Sokka muttered. "If he was just a kid when you last saw him, then who knows what was fed into his mind about the other nations as he grew up. He could one day join the fire nation army and destroy everything you hold dear."

"Wow… You know it's not nice to judge people," a male voice spoke behind us, and we both jumped up turning to look at the intruder with surprise. To my astonishment, from the moons light, I saw Kale standing a few feet away.

Sokka suddenly stepped in front of me and pulled his boomerang from the back of his shirt out. "You! What are you doing here?" Sokka shouted at him.

Kale frowned then looked over at me as I stood behind Sokka, my eyes wide. "Amber? Is it really you?" he asked, taking a step forward.

My brother backed up causing me to back up as well. "Don't take another step fire nation scum! I'm not letting you anywhere near my sister."

Tears fell from my eyes, and immediately I clutched Sokka's shirt. "Let me by Sokka… It's okay."

Sokka snapped, "No! I'm not letting him hurt you!"

Kale looked at Sokka offended. "I'd never hurt her! Whether you believe it or not, I care about Amber more than anything! My whole life I've only lived with one goal, and that's to one day be with my lost princess again! So step aside water tribe boy so I can see the one girl I love more than anything."

His words made my heart ache for him. Kale loved me? After nine years of not even knowing I was alive or dead, Kale actually loved me?

Sokka spat, "Over my dead body!" Then he ran forward and I saw Kale narrow his eyes and run forward too. They were going to fight, and I didn't want either of them getting hurt.

Panicking, I shouted, "Stop!" Then I threw my hands forward and created a wall of purple fire between the both of them. They immediately stopped and backed away from the flames in shock. "Just stop! No fighting!"

Letting my wall extinguish, I walked over to the two boys who stared at me with amazement. "Sokka… I need a word with you," I snapped, then grabbed his ear and pulled him away from Kale a few yards where we could speak in private. Sokka winced when I finally let go, and rubbed his ear muttering something inaudible under his breath.

"Look Sokka," I began. "I know you want to protect me, but you have to trust me on this. Just let me speak to Kale and see what he wants. Fighting is going to get us nowhere."

Sokka snapped, "I trust you Amber! It's him I don't trust!"

Looking over at Kale, I saw him watching me from the light of the moon. "Well I do Sokka," I said. "You're welcome to stay, but just let me talk to him. If he looks like he's a threat then you're more than welcome to knock him on the head a few times. Just give me five minutes. That's all I ask, from a sister to a brother."

Sokka sighed, then put his boomerang back behind him. "Fine… Five minutes," he muttered.

Smiling reassuringly at him, I walked over to Kale who looked at me with those soft brown eyes. "Sorry about that… My brothers really protective."

Kale looked at me with confusion. "Brother?"

"It's a long story." Looking back at Sokka, I saw him pacing the river bank impatiently. "Why are you here Kale?"

My words must've hurt him, because he bowed his head to hide his eyes. "I- I had a feeling it was you, and I just wanted to be positive. When I saw you in the village earlier I just knew it was you. You're my best friend Amber, and you once felt the same way about me when we were younger."

Looking down at the ground, I said, "My memories tell me that what you say is true, and I do want what we had years ago Kale, but my life is just too crazy for any of that. If you stay with me I'll just put you in danger. It's already bad enough I put the avatar through so much trouble, the last thing I want is to do the same to you."

Kale suddenly broke the distance between us grabbing my shoulders with pleading eyes. "I don't care! I'm willing to take any challenge you throw my way if it means never having to lose you again. When I heard about you the morning after you went missing, I felt like my heart was ripped into two. I spent nine years praying to the spirits you were alive somewhere out there. When I saw you in town today I knew my prayers were answered. I love you Amber! I always have, and no matter how much you push me away I'm never leaving you again!" Tears were falling from his eyes, and I felt tears fall from my own.

Without another word I threw my arms around him and pressed my face to his chest. "I'm sorry Kale! I'm so sorry I hurt you so terribly. If I had remembered you before, I'm sure I would've tried to go back to you."

Kale froze then, and I saw him pull away and look at me utterly confused. "What do you mean 'If I had remembered'? Are you saying you forgot about me?" He was hurt then and I felt my words get stuck in my throat.

"She lost her memory idiot. It wasn't her fault," Sokka suddenly said, defending me. Kale's eyes widened, and I knew he understood.

"I'm still remembering things," I began, finally finding my voice again. "It's taking a while, but my past is becoming clearer by the day. The truth is though, that my first memory of you only occurred today when I saw you at the shop. That's another reason I didn't want you to find me Kale, because I knew this information would hurt you. I can't return all the feelings you give me, because I don't remember a lot about our friendship."

Kale released my shoulders then, and he pulled on his hair as he took in my words. "So that's why you never came home… Because you couldn't remember who you were?"

Nodding, I said, "I only started getting my memory back a few weeks ago, when I met my brother Zuko for the first time."

Kale looked back at me with terror.

**Kale POV**

She'd lost her memory! She'd forgotten about me? About her family? About who she really was? My whole life I thought she was dead or imprisoned, but it turns out she was living a life that wasn't even hers.

She must have been so scared, felt so lost, and been so confused. No wonder she'd never gone home. No wonder she never came back to me. She had no clue of the life she once had. She was living a lie.

"How'd this happen?" I asked. "How did you lose your memory?"

She looked uncomfortable as she gave me her answer. "A metal pipe fell on my head. It came down when the water tribe was fighting my captors. Admiral Zhao had ordered his men to throw me off the coast of the South Pole, but they were attacked before they got the chance. The water tribe found me on the ship unconscious and took me. When I woke up a few days later I had no memory of anything. They ended up calling me Kaya, and the chief of the tribe took me in as his own. Sokka and Katara became my siblings, and I became the South Poles one and only fire bender."

When she finished her story, I saw the pain shoot across her face at the memory. Without another word I rushed forward and pulled her into my arms again. Hugging her close to me, I closed my eyes saying, "I can't believe that's where you were this whole time… And Zhao did this to you. I can't believe I trusted that man. To think your father still trusts him too. If the fire lord learned what Zhao did to-"

"The fire lord ordered it to be done," she whispered. My eyes widened, and I looked over at Sokka who tightened his fist at her words.

Her own father signed her death wish? The fire lord wanted his own daughter dead? It actually made perfect sense now. I'd never understood why the fire lord called off the search in only six months. I'd always questioned why he wouldn't keep searching. Now I understood… He'd wanted her dead.

"That monster," I hissed, gritting my teeth in fury. The fire lord would pay. He wouldn't get away with what he did to Amber.

Amber sighed, then pulled away from me once more. "Now you know… In front of you stands Princess Amber, hated by her father and sentenced to die." My heart felt like it was ripped in two when I saw the pain filled eyes that stared into my own. "I'm sorry I'm not what you expected Kale, and I'm sorry if I can't return all of your feelings. Even though I know you from my past, you're a stranger to me. I see you only from the blurry memories that creep into my mind."

Breathing in heavily, I took a moment to gather myself, and then looked at her with a smile. "I don't care… I don't care if you don't feel the same way I do. I don't care what you do and don't remember. I just know that no matter what, I'm not leaving your side. You're my sun, and I can't live without you anymore. We can start our friendship over if we have to. I'm willing to give anything a try if it means being with you forever."

She looked at me with a smiled that filled me with warmth. There was that smile I missed so much. There was that happiness I'd been searching for in her.

"If what you say is true, then I guess you can join us," Amber said. "I trust the words you say, and something in the back of my mind is telling me that I don't want to be separated from you either. You just have to promise you won't do anything to hurt my family or the avatar."

Nodding, I said, "Never."

"Wait a second! We can't just let him join us! He's still fire nation!" Sokka shouted.

Amber looked over at him then, and then I saw her smile weakly. "Come on Sokka… Do you trust me or not?"

Her brother went to argue, but then he looked into his sisters eyes. He must have read something in her eyes, because he sighed and muttered, "This is so going to slap me in the face in the future." Then he took in a tired breath and said, "Fine. In the morning we'll get the group together and ask what they think. I'm not agreeing until Aang and Katara make their decision." Then Sokka walked over to Amber grabbing her forearm. "Come on. Let's get back to sleep."

As Amber and her brother walked away, I saw her look back at me with those amazing gold eyes.

"You stay by the river!" Sokka ordered, looking back and shooting me a glare. Amber slapped her forehead at her brother's overprotectiveness, while I just smirked. This guy Sokka was as protective as Amber's real brother Zuko.

Sighing, I sat at the river and looked toward the water. Then I prayed to the spirits Amber's friends would all agree to let me stay. I wasn't going to get separated from her ever again, whether her friends liked it or not.

**Amber POV**

When morning came I realized I hadn't gotten an ounce of sleep. Sokka had fallen asleep about ten minutes after we'd gotten back to the hut, but my mind was still racing. What if my sister and Aang didn't let Kale join? Then what would he do? Kale seemed really persistant.

Katara was the first to wake up in the morning, and she stretched with a yawn. When she finally sat up and saw me awake, she said, "Good morning. How'd you sleep?"

Looking at her, I smiled weakly, "Great… What about you?"

Katara narrowed her eyes at me. "You're such a liar," she muttered, then stood brushing her fingers through her long hair. My eyes widened. "I woke up a few times last night and every time I looked over you were sitting up awake. You need to sleep, because it's not good for you-"

"Calm down Katara. I just had a busy night. Actually, I need to show you and Aang something before he goes to see Jeong Jeong," I said.

Aang suddenly sat up, looking at me with tired eyes. "What is it? You didn't get burned again did you?"

Sokka muttered from where he laid on his mat, "I almost got burned."

Too excited, I stood saying, "Of course not. Come on guys. This is important. Wake up so I can show you."

They all sighed, and Sokka rolled back over pulling his blanket over him. "Just tell me the outcome when you get back," he muttered.

Rolling my eyes, I turned back to the other two. "Meet me by the river!" Aang and Katara looked completely dumbfounded by the excitement I suddenly had. Without saying another word to them I turned and ran out of the hut. The rebels at the hideout we were in watched with surprise as I ran by them toward the water at the bottom of the hill.

Truth was, I really had no clue why I was so excited. Maybe it was the fact that Kale was someone who knew the old me, and could teach me parts about who I once was that I can't recall. He'd be able to help me fill in the missing pieces of my forgotten past.

Reaching the river, I looked around desperately for Kale knowing he'd be there somewhere. When I finally found him, lying on his back with his hands behind his head I sighed in relief. So he'd stayed by the river after all.

Walking over to him, I said, "Guess you really do mean everything you said."

He turned his head looking at me with those amazing brown eyes. "I told you I'm not ever going to leave you," he said, then sat up. Blushing at his words, I felt my heart flutter. It was so strange, the feelings I was having for this boy.

"Yeah… I see that now," I said.

Kale stood then, and I watched as he turned and looked up the hill. "Oh boy… Here we go," he said, then looked over at me with a smile.

Looking up the hill, I weakly smiled. Katara and Aang were walking toward us, dressed and ready for the day. When they both saw the fire nation boy beside me they both widened their eyes in terror. Stopping a good ten yards, Katara snapped, "What's the meaning of this Amber? Who is this fire nation dude?"

Aang clutched his staff with narrowed eyes. "Yeah! Why did you bring us to him? He could hurt all of us, including you!"

"Calm down," I said, noticing from the corner of my eye Kale wince at the hatred given from the both of them. "This is Kale, Katara. The one I told you about. He doesn't want to hurt any of us."

Katara looked at Kale in shock, while Aang looked confused. "Kale… Who's Kale?"

"You must be the avatar," Kale said. Biting my lip, I was worried he'd say something that would anger both Aang and Katara. Even though I knew Kale from the memories I had of him, he could've changed over the years like Sokka said. He bowed however, showing no sign whatsoever of hate, dislike, or desire to harm Aang. "It's an honor to meet you. I never dreamed I'd ever be in your presence."

Aang seemed totally taken back by Kale's words. "Um… Okay." Then he turned and whispered to Katara, "Why is this dude being so nice? Do you think it's an act?"

"No! It's not," I said, stepping forward with pleading eyes. "Kale isn't bad. Not everyone in the fire nation is bad. He wants to help us defeat my father. You guys have to believe me when I say Kale would never hurt any of you."

Aang looked like he wanted to argue, but I saw Katara look into my eyes with understanding. Placing a hand on Aang's shoulder to stop him, Katara looked at Kale with acceptance. "If what Amber says is true, then I believe her. Just by looking into your eyes, I can tell you have a genuine heart. If my sister trusts you this much, then I trust you too."

Aang looked at Katara with shock. "He's fire nation Katara! Are you sure we should trust him? What if Amber's just confused and thinks this guy is harmless when really he's a cold blooded killer."

Kale looked hurt by these words. "I've never hurt anyone in my life. I love Amber and truthfully will do everything in my will to protect her from now on. Look into my heart avatar if you must, and tell me that the words I speak aren't true."

The young avatar looked at Kale with surprise, then after a moment he sighed saying, "I suppose I let my bitterness over the fire nation cause me to judge you." Aang relaxed his hold on his staff, then looked at me. "Are you sure about this Amber? What if-"

"Please Aang… I know I'm not a hundred percent right in the head, but something tells me in the pit of my stomach that Kale is good. He wants to help us end this war so we can all see my father's reign end." Now I was almost begging him to say yes.

Aang let out a hard sigh. "Fine… But I'm watching you," he said, pointing a finger at kale. "Amber's like a sister to me, so I'll be sure to go all avatar on you if you hurt her." Then he turned and ran back up the hill, probably because he realized he was late for his lesson with Jeong Jeong.

Katara looked at me then, and I saw her smile. Then she looked at Kale with kindness. "Welcome to the group Kale." She then turned and walked away, and I felt utter relief. She actually accepted him. Kale could really come with us. Though I still was trying to figure out how I felt toward Kale, the boy I technically just met yesterday, I was glad he was staying.

In some strange way, I felt love toward this boy I barely even knew.

The rest of the morning, after I'd led Kale into the hideout and managed to convince the rebels that he was on our side, Kale and I talked about the nine years we'd been apart. Kale told me about his time in the palace, working in the kitchens and hoping that one day I'd find my way home. Then he told me how last year my father fired a lot of his staff and this included Kale. My dad was able to send him to the fire nation village nearby where he got a job working for some guy named Giro. As he spoke I listened intently, amazed at how intriguing this one boy was. He seemed to know so much about tea, weapons, the fire nation, and other things that showed just how wise he was.

"Why did you never give up on me?" I asked him suddenly, after he'd just finished telling me about the purple stone I had no memory of whatsoever.

Kale clutched the glowing stone in his hand. "Something was telling me you were alive. At first I thought it was my gut, but after a while I began to question if it was the spirits telling me. This belief that you weren't dead though, made me only want to be with you again more."

His words made me want to be with him too. At this thought I mentally shook it away. No Amber… There's no time to be falling in love with this boy.

"Well I'm glad you never gave up on me," I said.

Suddenly a cry was heard from the forest nearby, and I gasped standing from where I sat. "Katara!" I shouted, then took off in the direction I'd heard her in. Kale ran behind me following my path as I ran through the forest.

To my surprise I found Aang almost to the verge of tears while Katara clutched her hands to her chest in agony. Sokka was shouting something at Aang and I got out of it that Aang had lost control of his fire bending and burned my sister. "What happened?" I asked.

Sokka spat, "Aang burned our sister! Katara's hurt because Aang just had to show off!"

Katara suddenly ran off into the woods, and I looked back at Kale saying, "I'll be right back. Can you make sure Sokka doesn't do anything stupid to Aang?" He nodded and looked back over at Aang and Sokka with uncertainty.

Running in the direction Katara had gone, I eventually found her by the river sobbing as she put her hands in the cool water. Kneeling beside her, I said, "Let me see them."

She gave me her hands with tear filled eyes and I winced at the raw blistered skin. Then I said, "Luckily it's not too serious. It will just hurt for a few days. After you cool them off in the water we'll go find some bandages."

Katara nodded and put her hands back in the water. To both of our surprise the water around her hands started to glow. She took her hands back out of the water again and looked at them with amazement. They were healed!

"You have healing abilities," Jeong Jeong suddenly said, and Katara and I looked over startled. He'd come out of nowhere. "The great benders of the water tribe sometimes have this ability. I've always wished I were blessed like you, free from this burning curse."

Katara looked at him in surprise. "But you're a master. You have powers I'll never know."

Jeong Jeong looked at me for a brief second, then back at my sister. "Water brings healing and life. But fire brings only destruction and pain. It forces those of us burdened with its care to walk a razor's edge between humanity and savagery. Eventually, we are torn apart." I looked down at my hand knowing what he meant. Fire was a dangerous tool, and if we allowed greed to take us over we could use it to destroy everything, just as my father was doing.

Suddenly a blast of fire shot toward us and I quickly stood extinguishing the flames before they could hit Katara. "Oh crap!" I shouted, seeing three river boats headed this way, and noticing the leader was none other than Zhao.

Jeong Jeong suddenly jumped in front of me and Katara. "Go get your friends and flee!" he ordered. Katara took off but I kept my ground. It was so payback time.

"No Amber!" Jeong Jeong snapped. "I know you want revenge, but wait till the opportune moment. Today is not your battle." Looking at my past teacher, I went to argue but knew he was right. I'd get my battle with Zhao soon, but today wasn't the day. "Go protect your family."

Nodding, I turned and ran in the direction Katara had gone. When I got to everyone I found Kale looking at Appa with wide eyes while Sokka threw stuff into his saddle. "What is that thing?" Kale asked.

Running over, I said, "His names Appa. Where are the other two? We have to get out of here before Zhao comes."

Kale turned and pointed to Jeong Jeong's hut. "The avatar was upset, so your sister ran in to talk some sense into him. She already told us about Zhao."

Suddenly Aang ran out of the hut, and with his staff he brought out his glider and took off into the air. Katara ran out after him looking anxious. "Where's he going?" I asked, watching him fly off in the direction I came.

"He said he was going to help," Katara worriedly said.

"I'm going to go find the other warriors and tell them what's going on," I said. Running into the other huts of the village, I looked around for any sign of the rebel warriors, but to my surprise they were all gone. It was like they'd disappeared. Turning to leave the last empty hut, I saw Kale in the doorway.

"Are all of your stops like this? Running from fire!" he asked.

Walking over to him, I said with a weak smile, "Welcome to the group Kale. You've officially gotten a taste of what you signed up for." Then I grabbed his hand and pulled him back over to Katara and Sokka. "The warriors are gone. They've all just disappeared."

Sokka began to get on Appa and take the reins. "I say we disappear to. Come on, let's go find Aang." We all began to pile up on Appa, and I noticed Kale looked really uncomfortable sitting on the giant beast.

"Uh… So does this creature run fast or something?" Kale asked, looking at me anxiously.

Katara laughed, while Sokka looked back and smirked. "Welcome to the group rookie. Yip Yip!" Appa took off into the sky and Kale clutched the side of the saddle in terror. Then after a moment he smiled.

"We're flying!" He looked at me with sudden excitement, and I had a flash of him younger with that same look.

Smiling at him, I said, "Meet Appa. He's Aang's flying bison."

Kale looked down at the forest below. "Amazing… I never thought in all my days I'd ever get to fly." Appa groaned as if to say you're welcome.

We eventually landed by the river where the three boats that were previously headed toward us, were now on fire. Zhao stood staring at his ships in disbelief. "Come on Aang!" Sokka shouted. Aang turned from where he stood watching Zhao, and then jumped onto Appa.

We then took off into the air, and I looked down at the man I hated so terribly.

Zhao looked up at me with hatred too, and I heard him shout. "This isn't over avatar! You and Amber will be mine!"

Aang and I both looked at one another and rolled our eyes. "Tell me something I don't know," I muttered.

Kale suddenly plopped down beside me, saying, "Yeah… Zhao definitely is crazier than what I remember at the palace."

Katara was the one to respond, "I think he can't accept that fact that he'll never be able to capture the avatar, no matter how hard he tries." Aang grinned at this, and Katara looked at him with a smile. Then her eyes widened. "Aang, your burned."

Aang looked at his arm and weakly smiled, "Amber's had it worse than me. I'm not complaining." Katara however used her bending to heal Aang, which made Sokka question why she'd never used her healing abilities before.

As Sokka acted like a baby and whined about all his past boo boos, Kale asked, "What did the avatar mean when he said you've had it worse?"

Shrugging, I said, "Let's just say I've run into a lot of fire benders in the past who enjoy seeing me in pain. It's no big deal."

Kale seemed to want to pry, but he kept quiet seeing how painful the subject was for me. After a few hours of flying, Sokka suddenly turned to Kale and said, "Alright. Now that you're officially in the group we have to lay some ground rules."

Groaning, I crossed my arms in disbelief. Kale looked over and smiled reassuringly, then looked back at Sokka showing my older brother he had his undivided attention. As Sokka listed off pointless rules that barely made any sense, I looked up at the sky and closed my eyes, praying to the spirits that my family would accept Kale.

Deep down, I too felt that I never wanted to be separated from him again. I wondered if the spirits had planned this all along, for me to find Kale again. If so, I wondered what the future held for the both of us. As long as I didn't die by blue fire, I was okay with whatever fate threw our way.


	18. Sleepless

"Wrong! You're putting it up all wrong!" Sokka shouted, crossing his arms and glaring at Kale. Kale only rolled his eyes and hammered the tent to the ground some more. Sokka snapped, "Who taught you how to put up a tent? This is the sloppiest thing I've ever seen!"

Ever since Kale had joined us Sokka had been really hard on him. Kale and I knew he meant well, but I felt that it was getting a little too much. Katara must've agreed too, because she snapped, "The tent looks fine Sokka! Come make yourself useful and help with the other tent!" Sokka sighed, then turned and left Kale alone.

Placing the wood I'd gathered by the nice purple fire I'd started a few minutes ago, I walked over to Kale who stood and examined his tent. "I think it turned out fine," I said, standing beside him and testing the tents stability. "Don't mind Sokka. We've had a bad past with the fire nation, so you just have to give him time to trust you."

Kale smirked. "Sokka's interesting. I don't mind him pushing me around. It's actually entertaining to see him try and control me." Then Kale looked over at the fire that continued to burn. "Did I ever tell you how odd I still find that?"

Laughing, I said, "Its purple fire. I'm sure most people in the world find it odd."

"Amber! Stop flirting and come help me get some fruit!" Sokka shouted.

Sighing, I nudged Kale's shoulder with a smile. "Better go before my brother locks me in a cage. Maybe you can make some of your special tea for everyone tonight. It might get them to know you better." Turning, I left kale who watched me go with a smile.

When I reached Sokka, I saw him looking as stubborn as usual. As we walked into the forest to go find some fruit, I said, "Can you at least try to be nice? Katara and Aang see past where Kale's from, so why can't you? Have you forgotten I'm fire nation too?"

Sokka snapped, "That's different! You were only in the fire nation for six years. Kale was there his whole life. Forgive me if I'm concerned his loyalties aren't a hundred percent for the avatar!"

Sighing, I said, "Please just ease up on him Sokka. I like Kale… He's a good friend and I want him to feel welcome. The water tribe accepted me, even when a few of them knew I was the fire lords daughter. If I was accepted, then I don't see why Kale can't be accepted."

Sokka muttered something inaudibly under his breath, then slumped his shoulders in defeat. "Fine… I'll ease up on him. It doesn't mean I'm not going to pick on him though."

Hugging Sokka, I said, "Thanks… That really means a lot Sokka." He smiled weakly.

Later that night we were all seated around the purple flames of our campfire and Kale was passing around a wooden cup of tea to each of us. "It's just a way of saying thanks for letting me join you guys," he said, then sat beside me.

Everyone sipped their tea and smiled at the taste. Katara exclaimed, "This is delicious Kale! The best tea I've ever tasted in my life." Aang nodded in agreement, downing the rest of his cup.

Looking over at Sokka, I watched as he too sipped his tea. Kale watched too, wondering what Sokka's reaction would be. After a moment Sokka looked over at Kale and said, "I still don't trust you, but you do make some amazing tea."

Kale decided this was as close he'd get to approval from my brother, and I watched him sigh with relief. For the first time in these last two days I could breath. Later that night, after all the guys were asleep Katara and I walked off into the woods so we could talk.

Finding a nice spot on a fallen tree, I let my legs dangle and watched Katara plop down to join me. The moon was just a small crescent that didn't give us much light but gave us enough to see our way. Lighting a flame in my hand, I let the darkness around us fade.

"Kale seems to be fitting in pretty well. I think Sokka's beginning to accept him," Katara said, kicking her legs back and forth in thought. "Aang and I are enjoying his company too. He seems like he really wants to help us. He's a very kind and compassionate person."

Sighing, I said, "I just don't understand why he still wants to be with me. After losing my memory of him and our friendship, I don't understand why he stayed with me. I can't return the feelings he has for me. I do love him, but as a friend from the past. He's still such a stranger to me."

Katara smiled from what I could see of my purple fire light. "We were strangers to you too, Amber. When you first came to the South Pole you were terrified of all of us until you got to know us. If you get to know Kale as who is now, then maybe you will be able to return his feelings one day."

As Katara said this I let my mind wander. Maybe Katara was right? Maybe if I just gave it time, I could be the friend I once was for Kale. More than anything I wanted to do something for Kale. He seemed to care for me so much. If getting back to being his friend was a way to repay him I'd take it.

"So, pushing Kale aside, you excited about reaching the Northern Water Tribe?"

She practically beamed from the purple glow showing her face. "I can't wait! I'm so excited to meet a real water bending master! Just think of how much I can learn. After growing up and learning all by myself, I can finally learn from someone different for a change."

Smiling, I said, "I'm sure mom's proud of you."

She smiled then touched my shoulder. "And I'm sure she's proud of you. I'm sure your birth mom's proud of you too, wherever she is," Katara said. She then said, "Come on. We better get some sleep."

"You go ahead," I muttered, looking at the ground below. "I'm not tired yet."

My sister looked concerned but hopped off the log and walked back toward the campsite. Turning back, she said, "Don't stay up too long." I nodded and she left.

As I stayed where I was, her words echoed through my mind.

'_Your birth mom's proud of you too, wherever she is.'_

My birth mom…

Looking up at the crescent moon, I stopped my flame. Closing my eyes I tried to picture my birth mom in my mind, but her image was hazy. No new memories came to me about my birth mom. Instead I had a memory about my water tribe mom, Kya. The only mother I'd known up until a few weeks ago.

"_Kaya… Come out sweetie. I know you're scared, but it's okay," a soft gentle motherly voice said. Looking over at the pretty lady with long brown hair and sky blue eyes, I scooted even farther into the small hole of ice I'd found. My memories were gone. The only thing I remembered was how to eat, breath, and talk. Everything was so strange and unfamiliar to me. No memories of my past. Just my present. "You have every right to be scared. I would be too if I were as lost as you. None of us are going to hurt you though, so please come out before you freeze to death."_

_Pulling my knees to my chest with my bandaged hands, I cried out, "I don't remember! I don't remember who I am! I'm so scared!" Tears poured out of my eyes at the blank memories I tried so hard to return. Who was I? What was my real name? _

"_I know sweetie… It's okay to be scared. You don't have to be alone though. Sometimes having someone to hold you can help with the fear," Kya said, kneeling in front of the icy dig out in the glacier I'd found. "It doesn't matter who you were in your past. You're Kaya now sweetie, and Hakoda, Sokka, Katara, and I all love you. You're a part of our family now."_

_Something in the back of my mind told me to trust this kind woman. With a trembling body, I inched slowly toward the holes opening but stopped before I got close enough for her to grab me. "I don't want to be hurt again," I whispered, remembering the pain I felt when I woke up three days after the water tribe found me. I'd had broken ribs, severe burns, and terrible cuts all over my body._

"_We would never hurt you. I promise I'll protect you with my life," my water tribe mom said with the most loving smile I'd seen since my new life began. Nodding I came all the way out of my hole, and then fell into my new moms arms. She pulled me to her wrapping me in some furs she'd grabbed when she was coming to look for me. Her body warmth alone was enough to ease the violent shivers shooting down my spine. "Let's go home," she said, helping me stand. Then we walked the mile distance back to the village, the tears stopping in my eyes as I felt my new mothers comfort._

A tear slid down my cheek and I quickly wiped it away. My mom Kya… How I missed her so much. My mind started to go back to the day she died, but I quickly pushed it to the back of my mind. That was a memory I didn't want to relive at the moment. Seeing my mother's death again would only bring unwanted nightmares back to me.

A few hours passed after I'd returned to the campsite and I couldn't sleep. My mind was so restless, from thoughts of Kale joining the group, to thoughts of the North Pole, and the many images of my past flashing through my mind. When the sun finally began to rise in the morning, I could feel the lack of sleep hitting me, so I heated up some tea to wake me. Though I still hated warm tea, it was the best wake up I could find.

Kale was the first to wake up in the morning, probably use to doing so from all his work at the palace. When he saw me throwing pieces of wood into the fire I'd just built, he looked at the dark circles in my eyes with worry. "You okay? You look exhausted."

Putting on a mask, I smiled and said, "Couldn't feel better. Want some breakfast? I cooked some of the fish you and Sokka caught last night."

Kale nodded accepting the fish that I'd cooked in the purple flames I'd lit. Sitting beside me by the fire, he chewed on his fish with a sigh. "Man… I was beginning to miss some nice meat."

Placing the cooked fish aside, I pulled my knees to my chest with a smirk. "Get used to it. A lot of times we just eat fruit or nuts. That's the life of traveling kids with no money."

He looked thoughtfully into the flames. "You'd think after everything the avatar does for people they'd be willing to just give him free stuff."

"No one's like that these days. Not a lot of people are happy with Aang. They say he abandoned everyone and caused this war."

"Ouch…" Kale muttered. "That's a big blame on one kid's shoulder."

Nodding, I stared over at the twelve year old kid as he slept. "I know. I sometimes feel bad for him. Every time we mention the war, or my dad, or even Zuko he starts to freak out."

"Yeah… I probably would too," he said, and I looked back at him seeing a weak smile on his face. "If the fate of the world rested on my shoulder I'd be freaking out."

Nodding, I felt my eyes suddenly become heavy. Maybe if I closed them for a moment, I'd get a second to rest.

"Hey! What's that smell?" a voice suddenly asked, and I opened my eyes with a sigh. Looking behind me I saw Katara approaching, having her hair loose and going in waves down her back. I always liked Katara's hair loose, but she insisted it was easier to fight with a braid.

Picking up a cooked fish, she took it with a thankful expression and then sat down across the fire from Kale and I. A moment later everyone else woke up and ate their breakfast. As everyone chat and laughed around the campfire with Kale, I stared at the flames with exhaustion. Maybe I could get some sleep on Appa.

"Amber?" A voice said and I felt someone shake my shoulder. Jumping, I looked in front of me to see Sokka crouching there and looking really worried. "Did you get any sleep last night?"

Immediately I lied. "Yes. I got at least four hours." His brows furrowed and he looked like he wanted to argue but after a moment he walked away in defeat.

After we packed up camp later that morning, everyone decided for some odd reason to walk for a few hours. Miserably I followed everyone, Kale walking beside me looking really concerned. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Shrugging, I looked up at the trees above trying to keep my eyes open. As I walked on, I swayed slightly and Kale's warm hand steadied me. "We need to stop. You're about to pass out," he said, noticing how my eyelids were becoming heavy.

"I'm not going to sleep," I muttered. That was the last thing on my mind at the moment.

Luckily around lunch time we all approached a group of travelers sitting around a fire. One man was walking around the group of people telling a story. As we joined them I sighed in relief leaning back against a tree as I watched the man ramble on.

After a good ten minutes of this forty year old earth kingdom nomad talking complete nonsense, he finally finished with, "So travelers, the next time you think you hear a strange large bird talking, take a closer look, it might not be a giant parrot, but a flying man! A member of a secret group of air walkers who laugh at gravity and laugh at those bound to the earth by it!"

The group of people applauded and I watched the crazy guy hold a hat in front of my brother Sokka. Kale and I smirked as Sokka pulled out of his pocket a lint ball and a dead bug. "Why does he have a dead bug in his pocket?" Kale asked.

Pulling my knees to my chest, I said, "He's Sokka."

As we sat a bit longer, I closed my eyes just trying to rest for a small second. "Hey guys! Come on before Aang loses his mind! We're going to the Northern Air Temple!" Sokka's voice made my eyes widen and my head lift to watch him walking over to us.

"Sokka… I think that's not a good idea. Remember what happened last time you guys visited an air temple? Katara told me Aang almost blew you off the mountain."

Aang appeared then looking too excited to care what I'd said. "There's actually air benders there! The dude said he saw flying people."

My brother muttered, "The dude also looks nuts."

In the end we all decided to check it out. Loading onto Appa once again, we took off flying north toward the mountains ahead. "So this temple… Have you been to it before?"

Aang grinned. "Glad you should ask that Amber! I use to come here during the Sky Bison Polo championships."

We all looked at one another in complete confusion. "Polo?" I asked Kale. He just shrugged, then looked at Katara and Sokka for clarification. They shrugged too. Aang began to ramble on about how excited he was seeing other air benders, and we all listened to him.

As we got closer and closer to the air temple, I began to see Kale growing slightly restless. Looking over at him, I asked low enough for only him to hear, "You okay?"

He sighed, then whispered, "This doesn't add up. The Fire Lord wouldn't allow air benders to live. We were told growing up the Northern Air Temple was conquered years ago. There are no air benders left."

My eyes widened, and I looked at Aang who looked really excited. "I hope Aang isn't expecting a miracle then."

"What are you guys whispering about?" Sokka asked, eying us suspiciously.

Kale immediately came up with a lie. "Just about the flying bison polo thing. That still amazes me that there were so many flying bison before."

Aang grinned at the memory. "They use to be everywhere! Hundreds of them in the sky! Right, Appa?" Appa groaned to answer his question.

"Hey guys! Look!" Aang exclaimed, pointing at the Northern Air Temple as it came into view through the clouds. The place was huge, entirely made out of stone, and it seemed to fit perfectly on the top of the mountain. Strange devices flew around the temple, almost like Aang's glider but not quite as graceful. Looking over at Aang, I saw his once excited expression turn into despair. Poor kid… He was the last air bender in the world.

"They really are air benders!" Katara exclaimed. Sokka watched with amazement while Kale and I looked at one another feeling somewhat guilty. We were both fire nation, so we both understood our people were the cause for the air benders extinction.

"No they're not," Aang muttered in response to Katara.

"What do you mean they're not? Those guys are flying!"

Aang looked down with pain. "Gliding maybe, but not flying. You can tell by the way they move. They're not airbending. Those people have no spirit."

Suddenly the gliders began to popup from the clouds freaking Appa out. We all gasped as Appa caused us to slide to the side of his saddle. Kids laughed around us as they flew with us, and I stared at them all annoyed. We're they trying to knock us out of the sky?

A kid gliding beside us in a strange chair with wheels, laughed loudly as he soared through the sky. Aang seemed annoyed and grabbed his own glider flying into the sky. Another kid flew up by Appa's foot making him groan in fear. "Let's get to solid ground!" I shouted, holding the side of the saddle anxiously.

We eventually landed on the stone platform of the Northern Air Temple, earning amazed glances from the nomads who had taken over the temple. Looking at the sacred land Aang had once visited over a hundred years ago, I saw nothing but ruble and machines all around it. This place looked torn apart.

"Wow… I never imagined I'd get to see the air temples, but this is so not what I had in mind," Kale said.

Katara agreed. "This definitely won't make Aang happy."

Climbing off of Appa, we watched as Aang and the kid who laughed before raced through the sky. Aang showed off a bit too much and threw his glider so that his air bending alone was keeping him in flight. Then he found his glider again and raced the kid some more.

As Aang and the boy finally landed, I saw that the boy had his legs completely wrapped in gauze showing he'd been the victim of a terrible accident. As he stopped himself with the wheels of his chair, he turned to Aang with amazement. " Hey! You're a REAL airbender! You must be the Avatar! That's amazing! I, I, I've heard stories about you."

Aang muttered, "Thanks."

The boy then looked over at me and his eyes widened. "And you're her! The princess of the fire nation! I never thought you'd be so pretty."

My breathing stopped as he said this. Kale immediately inched toward me almost in a protective way while Sokka, Katara, and Aang all gaped. "How do you know that?"

The boy looked at all of us with confusion. "Because travelers who have come through here say that the Fire Lord has placed a reward for anyone who retrieves his daughter and brings her home alive."

Alive? Why would he care if I'm alive or dead?

"But how do you know she's this princess?" Sokka asked.

He looked at me as I still watched him in shock. "The princess is traveling with the avatar. Since your friend is a fire bender and with the avatar I assumed she was," he said, now unsure.

Smiling weakly, I said, "Yes... I am Princess Amber of the fire nation. Just to ask though, how much is the reward exactly?"

"I think about 3,000 gold pieces. Everyone says the Fire Lord's freaking out that you're suddenly alive," he stated.

Rage boiled inside me. Of course my dad was freaking out! He wanted me to be dead! Why all of the sudden did he want me alive now? Was it because he somehow figured out my unique bending skill? Was it because he wanted to get Aang through me? Or was it because he regretted everything he'd done in the past?

The last question was a definite no, but I wondered about the other two.

Everyone saw what the boy, Teo, had said seemed to upset me, so they dropped the subject all together. Instead Teo asked Kale, "So you're from the fire nation too? We must be really different from your own people."

"Yeah… You guys are all amazing. Which is strange because growing up we were told you all were our enemy," Kale said with a weak smile. "After traveling with the avatar for a few days though my mind's opening to a whole new perspective."

Teo then offered to give us a tour of the temple. Everyone seemed very excited to go but I decided to hang back. "You guys go ahead. I'm going to hang out with Appa."

They all looked back at me and I saw Kale looking into my glazed eyes knowing exactly what I was planning to do. "Do you want me to-" he began but I cut him off.

"Go ahead. You can give me a tour later," I said. They nodded and began to walk off to go check out the temple. Kale hung back for a second unsure, but I gave him a reassuring smile causing him to ease up. Turning, he took off to catch up to the others too excited to want to miss out.

Ignoring the cautious stares from the adults and the curious ones from the children, I walked over to Appa and sat against him as he sat on ground. Closing my eyes, I felt exhaustion finally hit me, and I drifted into a dreamless sleep.

When I woke up I found it was late afternoon and no one was in sight. Sighing, I got up and stretched, glad to have gotten some sleep. Even though it was only about three hours of sleep it was better than nothing.

Walking across the temple, I began to walk through the large stone hallways that had metal pipes and strange machines built into the once beautiful stone walls. Looking around this temple that should've once been sacred, I felt somewhat disgusted. The air benders were known to live in harmony with nature, so after seeing rust and oil stains on the once beautiful walls I grew agitated toward the Earth Kingdom people who had moved here.

Footsteps suddenly ran toward me and I looked over to see Kale. His eyes were wide with horror. "We have a problem!"

Yeah… We do. Looking around again, I itched to just yank the metal pipes off the walls.

"The Fire Nation is coming to destroy this place!" he said, bringing my attention back.

"What! How long was I asleep?!"

"It seems that a lot happens in three hours," Kale said, then took my hand pulling me along through the halls.

As we ran Kale caught me up on everything I'd missed during my nap. He told me how the kid, Teo's, dad was making weapons for the fire nation, and how Aang pretty much told a fire nation general off. Now a war was about to start between the fire nation and this small Earth Kingdom colony. "Great… It's always one battle after another," I muttered as we approached a room where anxious voices could be heard down the hall.

When I entered I saw everyone was frantically coming up with a plan on how to defeat the fire nation soldiers. When I reached the conversation all I heard was something about a war balloon and a stink bomb. Sokka noticed that Kale and I were back, and he immediately filled us in. The gliding people would drop slime bombs on the soldiers, while Sokka and Teo's dad- an older man with missing eyebrows- would take the war balloon.

"We'll need another hand with the balloon," Sokka said to the adult men in the room. No one volunteered and I rolled my eyes. Cowards…

"I'll help," Kale said. My eyes widened and I watched Sokka's reaction wondering if he'd accept Kale's offer. My brother seemed to contemplate it for a moment, probably not sure if he wanted to trust Kale to help. Then he sighed in defeat and nodded.

As the hour of battle drew near, and everyone was preparing their gliders and stink bombs, I approached Kale who was watching everyone. "Be careful out there. I don't want you or Sokka getting hurt."

He smiled at me, and then suddenly I felt him pull me into a hug. "I'll be fine. Promise," he said, then moved his mouth as if he was about to kiss me. Instinctively I pulled away and looked at the ground with uncertainty. My heart pounded hard at the thought of having my first kiss.

"Sorry," he said, pulling away. "That was stupid. I-"

"It's fine," I said, looking back up at him. "I'm just not ready for any of that right now."

He nodded with understanding, then instead of kissing me on the lips he gave me another hug. "You be careful too." Then he turned and ran to find my brother who was probably getting impatient.

"Here they come!" A young girl suddenly cried, and I turned rushing to the side of the temple in terror. Over two hundred soldiers marched across the mountains, strange machines following behind. I had a strong feeling these machines were built by Teo's dad.

The fight was about to start, and the glider kids got ready. Katara and I hopped on Appa, who had about thirty stink bombs on his saddle. Our purpose was to hand the kids stink bombs when they ran out. When the battle finally hit the stink bombs were having little to no effect. By the last bomb we were out and the giant army was getting closer and closer to the temple.

"Get me close," I ordered, yanking on Appa's reins to try and guide him toward the earth. Katara jumped forward grabbing the reins to stop me.

"No! Are you crazy! You go down there and you'll be captured or killed," Katara snapped. Looking down below, I saw the soldiers gaining more ground by the second. Then looking back at the temple I saw the Earth Kingdom Colony looking down at the soldiers with terror and hopelessness.

Grabbing Katara's hands off the reins, I said, "I'm not going to just sit back and let my own people do this. Get me down there. I promise I'll be okay." My sister seemed really uncertain about this, but she nodded and took the reins completely from me. Then she flew me down to the earth below and I slid off Appa falling to the ground. "Go find Aang and help him!" She took a moment, not wanting to leave me down here with the enemy only about a hundred yards away. Then she sighed in defeat and took off back toward the temple.

Turning back to the soldiers who had faltered slightly when they saw me and my sister's actions, I closed my eyes breathing for a moment. _I can do this. I have Roku. _

Touching the gold bracelet around my wrist, I heard Roku say, _You do not need me Amber. You have the ability. You always have._

His words took me off guard for a moment, but I had no time to ponder over it. Streams of fire began to shoot toward me as the soldiers from the front line attacked. As the fire flew right at me I used my bending to stop each of the flames in midair and extinguish them. Then I felt energy surge through my body and a familiar warmth flow through my blood. Looking down at my hands I saw I was glowing once more.

"What is this?!" One of the soldiers shouted, faltering in his step.

The general of the fleet suddenly stopped his men from advancing with a raised hand. He was old, probably close to retirement, but from the distance we were apart I saw his gold eyes staring at me with intrigue. "So you're her then? The long lost Princess of the Fire Nation. I've heard of your strength and power, and how you are a traitor to your people. Your father is not pleased with you."

Glaring, I snapped, "If I cared what my father thought of me, I'd have been dead years ago! Your Fire Lord does not scare me!"

The general sneered at me, then shouted, "Take her! The Fire Lord wants her alive!"

As the soldiers began to run toward me, I grinned and ran forward. Lighting a powerful burst of purple fire in my hands, I shot my fists forward and my fire blasted straight at the general and his men. They all seemed unfazed by this strange fire, but they were shocked when it expanded into a stream of fire that smacked into almost thirty of the soldiers sending them down. The general was one of these, and he lied on the ground in disbelief.

Stopping my run, I found I was only a few yards from the troops now. The general immediately jumped up and snapped, "My my… You really are what everyone says. She's powerful men! Give it everything you got!"

Immediately all the fire benders in the fleet rushed forward and shot fire at me. As almost a hundred different flames came at me, I used all the strength I could muster to push the blazing heat back from hitting me. Then I manipulated the massive flame as my own and the purple fire shot back at the fire benders knocking half of them back by the blow. The general was on his back again.

Shouts were heard from the temple in the distance, and I looked back to see everyone shouting my name and cheering. Finally I was showing people whose side I truly was on.

"Amber!" A shout rang, and I looked up to see Aang flying toward me with his glider.

"The Avatar! Shoot him down!" A soldier shouted, and the fire benders who weren't unconscious went to attack. Aang had already snatched me up by the waist and flew me through the air. I shut my eyes as fire shot past us, almost hitting us more times than I could count. Appa then flew below us and Aang dropped me causing me to fall in the saddle below. The fall wasn't hard, and I was quick to get over the pain I felt and get to my knees.

"Where's Sokka with the war balloon? I expected them to be here by now!" I shouted. Aang flew beside us as we landed on the stone platforms of the air temple.

When we landed we searched the sky impatiently knowing this war balloon was our last hope. "There!" Aang exclaimed, pointing at a giant red balloon as it came into view. We all watched as Sokka and Kale dropped large bombs of slime on top of the soldiers who were still a bit out of it from my own attack.

Smiling to myself, I knew we'd won this battle. These soldiers would have no choice but to turn around and run.

"What are they doing?!" Katara suddenly cried, watching as they threw something over the side of the balloon into a crack in the earth. A second later a huge explosion occurred, and the soldiers had no choice but to retreat from the blazing flames. Everyone around us cheered as they retreated, but Katara, Aang, and I watched the war balloon with terror.

"They're going down! We have to help!" I shouted, grabbing Appa's reins. We flew out toward the descending war balloon, Aang using his glider to fly beside us. When we got to Sokka, Kale, and Teo's dad Sokka used his boomerang attached to a rope, to throw it to Aang which looped it around his foot. Then they all grabbed onto the rope and flew away from the war balloon.

Aang managed to hold them up long enough to get them to safety on Appa's saddle. The three of them let out sighs of relief when they saw they were safe. As Aang landed on Appa and Sokka explained about the gas in the earth and how the war balloon, Kale turned to me with wide eyes. "Your brother is crazy! He's going to get us all killed," he whispered so that only I would hear.

Smirking, I said, "Sokka's just one of a kind."

"I can hear you two!" Sokka shouted.

We both shut up and looked away from one another acting as innocent as we could. Katara laughed at Sokka's reaction though, saying, "They're only speaking the truth."

Later that day, after the Earth Kingdom Colony people celebrated our victory, and many named me Purple Flame for my supernatural abilities, Katara decided we needed to head out. As we loaded onto Appa and began to fly toward the Northern Water Tribe once more, I stared out toward the horizon.

Today had been such a long day. As Kale and the others laughed and joked about what happened today, I thought back to what Teo had said.

"_The_ _Fire Lord has placed a reward for anyone who retrieves his daughter and brings her home alive."_

Why did my dad want me alive? It just didn't make any sense.

Looking at Sokka and Kale, who seemed to have no more animosity toward one another, I smiled weakly glad to see they were finally getting along. Lying back on the saddle as we flew across the sky, I closed my eyes feeling the cold breeze on my face.

My mind raced between my father's actions, my new friendship with Kale, and my doubts about the water tribe accepting me. My life continued to get wilder and wilder day by day…


	19. Not Weak

Staring down at the icy water below, I shivered as another cold breeze hit me. It wasn't too bad though. I was use to the cold living at the South Pole for the majority of my life. The only person who looked utterly miserable was Kale. He looked like a shaking leaf.

"You mean it never gets cold in the fire nation?" Katara asked, amused by Kale's chattering teeth and the big fur coat we'd bought him a few hours ago at the last piece of land we could find (Teo's dad had kindly given us a few coins for our journey).

Kale shook his head and I remembered the constant warm days at the Fire Nation palace as a child. The memory of the constant heat was small but I could remember it. As another cold breeze hit me, and Kale shivered once more, I kind of longed for the heat of the fire nation.

"So how much longer do you think it will take? We've been flying north for hours and I think Appa's exhausted," I said. Momo chattered at the cold and curled up on Kale's crisscrossed legs trying to get warm.

"Hopefully just another hour or two. It has to be here somewhere," Katara anxiously answered.

Wind hit us again and everyone trembled this time from the cold. "Hey Amber," Aang weakly began. "You don't mind making some fire for a little bit, just to give us a tiny bit of warmth."

Lighting a small flame in my hand, I rolled my eyes as everyone ended up crowding around my purple ball of heat. It was enough to relieve some of the cold, but the wind still bit at our exposed skin viciously.

"For once, I don't mind being so close to a flame," Aang said.

Kale smirked. "Scared of flames huh?"

Katara regretfully said, "Scared of fire bending."

Looking away from them I stared out into the empty icy ocean below. Katara had the same feelings I had at times. I didn't like fire bending either. However, even though Fire bending wasn't exactly my favorite thing to do, it was the only defense I had.

"Every time Zuko shoots fire at us I'm always terrified of being burned. I don't get what his problem is. I mean I know he wants to capture Aang for his dad and everything, but why does he always look so angry?" Katara continued, looking over at me as if hoping I'd answer her question.

I answered, "He's mad with himself, because it's his own fault he was banished. He spoke out against dad and was punished for it, so he wants to take his revenge out on Aang."

Sokka snapped, "Just because his dad banished him doesn't make it right for him to ruin the rest of the world. I mean look at you! You went through a whole lot more than Zuko will ever experience, and instead of being angry and miserable all the time you're trying to make things right."

Kale added, "And your scars are much worse than Zuko's small one on his face."

"I'm not going to compare myself to Zuko," I immediately said. "All I care about is that in some way we both have been hurt by dad and as of now we're both trying to find our place in this world. I just think Zuko's really confused and needs to know someone out there supports him."

Aang nodded. "I agree. If he sees the good in the rest of the world, then maybe one day he'll change sides."

"Doubt it," Sokka spat.

Katara shot Sokka a hard look. "Sometimes the impossible can happen." Sokka rolled his eyes and looked away. Sighing, I looked back at my flame in thought. If only Zuko would join the right side. Then maybe we could be a family again.

After another hour of flying I had to stop the glowing flame in my hand. Relaxing my muscles, I looked back at the ocean to see we were getting really close to the water. Appa must be getting very tired.

"I'm not one to complain," Sokka began. "But can't Appa fly any faster?"

Aang had retaken his place on Appa's neck holding the reins. Turning back in annoyance, he snapped, "I have an idea! Why don't we all get on your back and you can fly us to the North Pole!"

Sokka glared at Aang and turned around so he was in a crawl. "I'd love to!" he snapped back. "Climb on everyone, Sokka's ready for takeoff!" Momo chattered excitedly as he climbed on Sokka's back. Kale and I had to keep from laughing.

Katara intervened. "Look, we're all just a little tired and cranky because we've been flying for two days straight."

"We made a few stops," I muttered to myself.

"And for what? We can't even find the Northern Water Tribe. There's nothing up here," Sokka snapped, responding to Katara.

We all sighed knowing Sokka was right. It seemed that no matter how far north we went we'd never reach land. All we ever found was more and more glaciers.

"Maybe we didn't go the right way. We may have started traveling east without realizing it," I said.

Sokka shook his head. "My instincts tell me this is the way to go."

"Your instincts have been wrong before."

"That was one time!" Sokka defended, glancing at me annoyed.

Rolling my eyes, I pulled my knees to my chest. "I'm just saying, we've been flying for almost two days now, haven't seen land for the last eight hours, and all there is in front of us is more and more-"

Appa suddenly jerked up causing me to fall back into Kale who quickly grabbed me from hitting the saddle. Then we screamed as Appa wildly tried to escape jagged sheets of ice that stuck up out of nowhere to attack us. One of the ice attacks managed to hit Appa's foot and we went spinning through the air till Appa hit the cold water hard. Only a second later ice surrounded Appa's giant form and we looked at the cause.

About five water tribe boats surrounded us, men standing in each staring at us with wide eyes.

"They're water benders! We've found the southern water tribe!" Katara exclaimed.

One of the water bending men shouted, "Who are you?"

Sokka shouted back, "We're from the southern water tribe! Our father is chief Hakoda!"

The man's eyes widened and he quickly ordered the men to release Appa saying, "It's them! Chief Hakoda's children and the avatar have finally arrived!"

As we began to float behind the water tribe ships toward the Northern Water Tribe, I asked Sokka, "Were they expecting us?"

Sokka shrugged. "Guess they heard word that we were coming."

After a few minutes of floating across the sea we finally reached a gigantic snow wall that had the water tribe symbol carved into it. The wall appeared strong which explained how the Northern Water Tribe had yet to be invaded by the Fire Lord.

As water benders parted the wall to let us and the warriors around us through, I saw the warriors on the snow platforms staring at all of us in amazement. Then we went through another giant snow wall that this time opened up into the great Northern Water Tribe.

Majestic buildings made out of ice stood all around us and people came out of their homes watching us drift by with amazement. This village was no village at all. It was almost a city, with homes stretching for miles and more people than I could count.

"Wow! So this is the Northern Water Tribe. I knew they were a massive fortress but I had no clue they were this grand," Kale said in utter awe.

Looking around at the powerful village I felt somewhat annoyed. Why didn't our tribe get help from these people? Were we too worthless for all of them to care about? Maybe if they had sent water benders to protect our tribe, our mom would still be alive. At once a grudge began to fill inside me toward these people.

When we finally reached the massive palace where the chief and his family lived, we flew Appa onto the icy platform and all got off. A man with dark brown hair perhaps in his mid-forties with fine furs walked over to us with a kind smile. A girl followed behind, sixteen, with pure white hair the color of the moon.

"Welcome Avatar and our sister tribe. We have anxiously awaited your arrival," the chief said. "My name is Chief Arnook and this is my daughter Princess Yue."

Aang stepped forward and politely bowed. "My name is Aang. This is Katara, Sokka, Kale, and Amber."

At the mention of Kale and I the chief looked at both of us curiously. "You have an interesting taste in friends." Then he turned to Katara and Sokka. "I remember hearing about you two, years ago. At a time when contacting our sister tribe wasn't so difficult."

Sokka nodded. "Our dad use to send messenger's here all the time. The Fire Nation made this difficult to continue."

He smiled weakly. "It seems the Fire Nation has affected everyone." Then he looked back at Kale and I, but mostly me. "I'm sorry to say this, but we have a strict no fire bending rule."

Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I said, "I understand."

The man then turned gesturing for us to follow him inside the giant massive palace. As everyone started to go, Kale and I both hung back glaring at the chief. Kale muttered, "That's not the best way to make someone feel welcome."

Clenching my fist, I said, "I'm used to it. Before our warriors left for war their rule was that I couldn't fire bend in public. They thought I'd hurt the children, so I had to fire bend miles from the village."

"I don't understand what the big deal is?" Kale muttered.

Looking down in regret, I answered, "Fire Benders are the enemy Kale. In these people's eyes I'm a monster." Then I started to follow my family with a deep pain in my heart. These people would never see me as a friend as long as my father sat on the throne.

Later that night we were all seated in a giant plaza with massive water falls decorating the area. There were icy rows of seating around us, almost arena like, where the villagers sat to hear what their chief would say. The chief, his daughter, and the rest of us sat together at a huge ice table stretched out in front of us. Sitting on the edge of the table, I tried to distance myself as much from the chief as I could. Last thing I wanted was to be beside the man who made it perfectly clear I wasn't welcome.

Kale sat beside me as we watched the water tribe bring over more food than I could ever imagine. Staring at the water tribe favorites I noticed my mouth water at the familiar dishes. Kale stared at the seal meat and steamed seaweed with uncertainty. Before we ate the chief stood and made his announcement.

"Tonight, we celebrate the arrival of our brother and sister from the Southern Tribe, and they have brought with them someone very special, someone whom many of us believed disappeared from the world until now. The Avatar! We would like to also welcome our new friends from the fire nation who have seen the error of their people." At his words I tightened my fists and Kale looked uncomfortable. What the heck! I'm also from the southern water tribe! Katara told him earlier that I was their sister.

The chief continued as if I wasn't melting the table in front of me. "We also celebrate my daughter's 16th birthday. Princess Yue is now of marrying age."

The pure white haired girl stood and said to everyone, "May the great Ocean and Moon Spirits watch over us during these troubled times!" Then she sat back down beside Sokka as Master Pakku, an old man with gray hair and a lean frame, began to perform with his water bender pupils.

As the water benders performed, I saw Sokka and Yue talking about something but couldn't really hear what they were saying. A hand suddenly grabbed my wrist and I looked over at Kale with question. He gestured toward the table I'd just been tightening my fist on. The ice dripped and part of the surface in front of me was melted. "Oops," I said, putting both hands in my laps.

Would everything I touch melt?

Aang suddenly stood and I noticed Master Pakku and his pupils had finished performing. As Aang went to talk to him Sokka turned to Kale. "Hey… The chief wanted to know if you want to come to warrior training with me. He said you'd be able to give us insight on the fire nations fighting methods."

Kale shrugged. "I don't know much since I worked in the kitchen, but my dad taught me a little bit before he died. I'll try my best." Then he looked over at me. "What are you going to do?"

Sighing, I crossed my arms and looked down at the water bending master. "Probably stay out of everyone's way and try not to melt anything."

Kale and Sokka looked at one another unsure about my answer, but by that point Chief Arnook and Aang had come back. "You all must get your rest before tomorrow. Why don't I have one of the warriors show you to where you'll be staying?"

Yue stood then, saying, "If it's alright with you father, I wouldn't mind taking them."

Her father watched her hesitantly, and then glanced over at me with doubt. He gave in however and stepped aside to let Yue lead us all away from the plaza back toward the city. Warriors followed us anyway, but I assumed that was because she was their princess.

As I walked, I noticed Sokka was giving her googly eyes as if he were a lost pup. "Thanks for taking us Yue. You didn't have to," Katara said.

She smiled. "Anything's better than spending the rest of my birthday in my bedroom."

When we got to the building we'd be staying in, I was amazed to find it was made out of rock. "We thought you and your friends would be more comfortable in a warm place," Yue said, gesturing for us to go in. As everyone stepped inside, I went to do the same, but I felt a soft cool hand grab my shoulder to stop me. Turning, I looked at Yue with question.

"I'm sorry for my father's actions. He's not usually like this, but I think he holds some type of grudge against the fire nation, or at least fire benders."

Sighing, I said, "I'm used to it." Then I walked in the warm room and plopped down on one of the mats. Looking back I saw Yue was already gone. Torches were lit on the walls to give us some light and I noticed that there was a large fur rug made out of some fluffy animal. Aang cringed at the idea of sleeping on dead animals, but he was too tired to complain.

That night as everyone slept I stared up at the ceiling in thought. Would I always be seen as a monster to these people? Would I ever show these people just how different I was to my father?

Closing my eyes, I tried to push it all out of my mind, but a memory came to me then. A memory of me with my fire nation family.

_Walking beside my seven year old brother in my finest red dress that brushed against the floor, I felt him squeeze my hand as we walked together toward the throne room. Azula pouted beside us_, trying to _straighten her fine red dress that was more the color of blood than the fire one I was wearing. Mom and Dad walked in front of us, their arms intertwined to play the happy royal couple._

_Approaching a massive door, my father turned back to the three of us stating, "It's your grandfather's birthday so I expect all three of you to be on your best behavior. Don't do anything stupid or embarrassing." He looked straight toward me when he said this last part._

_We all nodded and dad turned back toward the door. The massive steel doors were pulled open by two guards and we entered into the party that was being held. As we entered we were announced. "Announcing our royal Fire Prince Ozai, his beautiful wife Princess Ursa, and their majestic children Zuko, Amber, and Azula." Looking around I watched as the guests of the party all bowed in honor of us._

_Then we walked into the party and stood at the front of the massive group of men and woman. The room fell silent as we all stared at the doors awaiting Fire Lord Azulon to enter. Sure enough my very very old grandpa came in the room, two guard men walking beside him to support him if he started to fall._

"_Welcome honored guests to my birthday party. I hope you all have a grand time," he said, though his words were tight as if he could careless how these people felt._

_Everyone bowed as grandfather walked down the steel steps toward the throne he'd be seated on during the whole party. After he was seated, he commanded the party to begin, and the orchestra began to play a soft tune. My father and mother dispersed into the party to greet the generals and other important people. As this took place Azula skipped over to grandpa and began to suck up to him. Zuko and I rolled our eyes and made our way toward the corner of the massive ballroom we were in._

_Standing in the corner of the room, I sighed knowing this party would go on for hours. Zuko decided the best way to pass time was to play a game. We ended up coming up with names for everyone who walked by. One guy with a sharp mustache we called Whiskers. Another woman with a very plump body we called Moon peach. The game went on for a while, until finally we got bored and just went back to staring at the party._

"_There you two are," Lu Ten suddenly said, walking over to us in his finest clothing. His hair was up in a top knot similar to Zuko's. "Grandfather wants you to show everyone some of the new things you learned in class. He said it would be a wonderful present to be able to see your improvement."_

_Zuko sighed and began to head toward grandfather. Looking at Lu Ten with horror, I said, "I can't fire bend!"_

_My cousin smiled kindly. "That's not true. I saw you showing off a move to Zuko the other day."_

_Shaking my head, I said, "I can't fire bend. Not with all these people watching. I might hurt them."_

_He knelt so he was eye level to me. "No you won't. You'll do fine."_

_Eventually I had no choice but to head back toward the throne. When I got there Azula was the first to step into the spotlight. Every guest in the room watched as the young child performed a few basic moves and created some small spouts of fire. Grandfather was smiling with pleasure while the crowd cheered. Then Zuko went and shared his own fire bending skills with the crowd. After shooting fire from both fists and kicking a burst of flames, Grandpa nodded in acceptance and the crowd cheered again._

_Then it was my turn, and I felt my heart pound rapidly in my ears. Walking to the center of the room, I saw my mom, uncle, and Lu Ten give me smiles of encouragement. Then I took in a deep breath and got into my best stance I could. Trying to find as much strength as I could muster, I thrust my hands forward to shoot the flame I wanted to create._

_The only thing that came out was smoke._

_Everyone gasped at my fail, and I looked at my grandpa to see him staring at me with pure disappointment and hate. My father held the same emotions on his expression, and I felt tears come to my eyes. As I hung my head in utter shame for my cowardliness to create one small flame, I heard my grandpa begin to speak._

"_I apologize everyone for this disgraceful performance. My granddaughter has always been weak. Let this all be a reminder to everyone, that if you are weak you will always fail," My grandfather said, looking at me with annoyance._

_Leaving the center, I walked away from everyone not even daring to look at my father. "Come back here child! I'm not through with you!" The crowd snickered as I froze and turned to look at my grandfather. "You will stand in the middle of this room and apologize to everyone for your disappointing performance."_

_Hanging my head in utter agony, I went back to my original spot and said with tear filled eyes, "I'm sorry."_

_Grandfather shouted, "Louder!"_

"_I'm sorry!" I cried._

"_See… now was that so hard?" Grandpa asked. Shaking my head miserably, I looked over at Zuko who was watching me with pain filled eyes. He wanted to help me so much, but at the same time he was afraid to anger grandfather. "Good. Now go to your room. I'm tired of your presence here."_

_Leaving without another word, I walked past Azula who smirked at me. Then as I reached the massive door I saw Mai standing near it watching me go with sympathy. 'You okay' she mouthed. Shaking my head, I left the room. When I was sure no one saw me as I entered the hallway, I took off running toward my room. Sobs escaped me as I reached my room, fell on my bed, and broke into tears._

Coming back to the present, I found I was clutching my head as hard sobs escaped me. Immediately voices surrounded me but I was too miserable to know who they belonged to. My heart hurt, and it was all because of my grandfather's words: 'My granddaughter has always been weak.' My grandfather had hated me so much. It hurt to feel so unwanted by someone everyone else in my family so greatly looked up to.

"Please calm down… It's okay. It's all okay," a soft soothing voice suddenly whispered in my ear. It was then I noticed someone had pulled me into their arms and I was sobbing into their shirt.

"She must have had another memory," Sokka said from somewhere nearby. "It must have been a painful one."

Katara's familiar hand brushed against my face wiping a tear away. "Please don't cry Amber. You know it was just a memory. Everything's okay."

Opening my burning eyes, I let myself come back to reality. Taking in my sisters loving and concerned eyes, my hearts pain eased slightly. Trying to calm myself down I looked at the four people in the room who cared about me. Kale was holding onto me looking at a loss of what to do and beyond worried. Sokka appeared pained as he saw the pain in my own expression, and he was desperate to know what had happened. Aang was even watching me, his own eyes full of concern.

My sobs had ceased by now, but I still clutched my head and breathed in and out hard. "I- I'm sorry," I said with a shaky voice. "I don't know what came over me."

Katara sat across from me then, taking my shaking hand in hers. "It's okay. You have nothing to be sorry about. You've been through so much in the past, and it's all just catching back up to you." Nodding, I felt another tear escape my eye.

"Does this happen a lot?" Kale whispered to Sokka.

If Sokka answered I didn't hear him, but I did hear Kale sigh in pull me closer to him.

Eventually I'd finally calmed down and Katara gave me a rag to dry my face. After sniffling a few more times, I was finally done and everyone sat around me waiting for me to explain. Taking in hard breath, I told them about the party just to get it all off my chest. They all listened with terror at what my grandfather did to me, and I saw them all fill with understanding at why I reacted the way I did.

Kale was the one who looked horrified at what I'd said. "I knew he'd kicked you out of the party, but no one ever told me why. When I saw you later that night to come and comfort you, you were already asleep so I didn't wake you. If I'd known it was that bad I'd have tried to-"

Cutting him off, I looked at my shaking hands. "None of this falls on you Kale. It was my fault. If I wasn't such a coward everything would've been fine."

"You're not a coward," Sokka snapped. "You're one of the bravest fire benders I've ever seen. No one would have the guts you do to stand up against your father and fight for what's right. Everyone else in the fire nation is a coward compared to you."

"Except Kale," Aang added in to make Kale feel better from Sokka's comment.

Nodding, I smiled weakly. "Yeah… I guess you're right."

Sokka smirked. "I'm always right."

Since it was still pretty early in the morning everyone went back to sleep for a little bit. Kale offered to comfort me some more, but I told him to just go back to sleep. As they slept I looked at my hand from the light of the moon. If I'd produced a flame at that party, would I still be living in the fire nation? Would I never have met Katara, Sokka, or Aang?

I guess what happened at grandpa's party had happened for a reason.

Sometime later I found I'd fallen asleep. When I woke up later someone had carried me onto one of the cots and a blanket had been draped over me. The room was empty as I looked around, and I saw beside me a piece of paper with something written on it. Picking it up it read:

_Aang and I are going to meet master Pakku, and Sokka and Kale have gone to warrior training. We'll be back as soon as we can. There's a change of clothes by the door for you.- Love Katara_

Sighing, I placed the note down and stood stretching out my sore muscles. Then I changed my clothing into the clean blue water tribe shirt and blue trousers that were left for me. Pulling on a large fur coat and my warm boots, I walked out into the cold of the southern water tribe.

Walking along the snow paths of the water tribe, I looked around at the villagers who were doing their daily work. A few of the villagers smiled at me and waved, but others shot me cold glares and stepped back as if I were a disease. At least I wasn't hated by everyone.

Walking over the waterway, I stood on the icy bridge and stared down at the crystal water below. As I watched small gondolas and boats float by, I felt someone walk up beside me and look down with me. "It's really pretty isn't it?" Yue's voice said.

Looking at her, I saw her eyes were sad and she looked ready to burst into tears at any moment. "You okay?" I asked.

She smiled weakly. "If I said yes, would you believe me."

Sighing, I looked back at the water below. "Only if you'd want me to."

She weakly laughed at this, but I could sense it was forced. "If I tell you, can you promise not to tell anyone, especially your brother Sokka?" Nodding, I noticed from the corner of my eye Yue touch something around her neck. "My father said that now that I'm sixteen I have to take on responsibilities. He said that I need to move on for the future of the tribe."

Her words became more and more emotional by the second.

"He introduced me to a guy named Hahn, and then told me I was going to marry him." Now tears were falling from her pretty blue eyes. "The guys an arrogant selfish jerk who only cares about becoming future chief! I- I don't want to marry him!" Sobs were escaping her now, and I hesitantly hugged her deciding that was the best thing to do.

"I'm so sorry Yue," I whispered, meaning it. Our lives were both ruined by our fathers and I knew exactly how she felt.

"I can't believe my father would do this to me. Doesn't he care how I feel?" she cried out.

Tightening my hold on her, I said, "Some fathers are fools."

She pulled away then and looked at me with surprise. It was then I noticed I'd started crying too. "You were hurt by you father too?"

Smiling weakly, I nodded.

We stood in silence then, staring back down at the water. "So… I guess we have to decide what you're going to do," I said, tracing my finger over the ice surface.

"What do you mean?" she asked, startled by my words.

"Well you can either go along with what your father wants and marry this arrogant self-centered jerk, or you can march up to your father, tell him he's pretty much being an arrogant selfish jerk himself and order him to stop the engagement. If he argues, then you threaten to leave or lock yourself in your room for the rest of your life. If he loves you enough, he'll forgive you and call off the engagement."

Yue seemed to ponder over my words. "I guess that might work."

Later that day I was seated back in the building we were staying at wondering if Yue would take my advice. It was around sunset when I saw everyone had returned. When they walked in they found me lying on a cot staring up at the ceiling.

"Hey… How are you doing?" Kale asked, plopping down beside me.

Sitting up so I was level with him, I said, "Good. A few of the villagers welcomed me and I had a good talk with Yue."

"I meant how are you doing after last night?"

Kale's words stopped me from speaking some more, and I closed my eyes pushing back the pain that threatened to spill out. "Better," I whispered, not really lying since I hadn't cried recently.

"You want to know how I'm doing?" Sokka snapped, and it was then I noticed he was pouting as he paced our room back and forth. "I'm doing terrible!"

Katara and Aang looked over from where they were also pouting. "How's warrior training going?" Katara asked. Sokka kicked a bag and plopped onto one of the cots depressed. "That bad?"

"Don't worry about him. He's upset 'cause princess Yue turned him down," Kale joked.

At his words I sighed. So Yue couldn't turn against her father. Guess I can't blame her since her father's been protecting her most of her life and she looks up to him. The only dad I felt that way toward was Hakoda, but he wasn't my real father.

"I don't get it. One minute she wants to go out with me and the next she's telling me to get lost!" Sokka shouted, then after a moment said, "So how's water bending training?"

Both Katara and Aang plopped down annoyed as well. "Master Poophead won't teach her because she's a girl."

This made me angry. Everyone should be able to learn their element, no matter what gender they be.

"Why don't you just teach her Aang?" Sokka asked.

Katara perked up when he said this. "Why didn't I think of that?" she stood up with excitement. "At night, you can teach whatever moves you learned from Master Pakku. That way you have someone to practice with and I get to learn waterbending. Everyone's happy!"

"I'm not happy," Sokka muttered.

Aang and Katara started heading toward the doorway. "But you're never happy. Come on Aang." The two of them ran out of the room to go to their waterbending thing. As they were gone, Kale told me all about his training with the warriors.

"They were all so accepting of me. They taught me how to handle a sword, and I showed them some fire nation techniques. The teacher Gaku says I've improved so much by just a few hours and he's excited to make a warrior out of me. He say's I'm a natural, and he wishes I were born in the Water Tribe."

Kales excitement made me really happy for him. I was glad to see he was fitting in so well here. Back at the palace from what I could remember, Kale was made to be a no body and wasn't allowed to talk unless given permission. Now he was making friends and making a place for himself in this village.

"I'm really happy for you," I said, and it wasn't a lie.

Later that night Katara and Aang came back looking really upset. "What happened?" I asked.

"Master Pakku saw Katara and I waterbending. He says he's not teaching me anymore because I've disgraced him and his people," Aang pouted.

"This is all my fault," Katara cried out. "If I'd just sucked it up and did what I was told then-"

Jumping up, I'd had it. First an engaged marriage, now woman weren't allowed to bend. "Alright! You know what! Screw these stupid water tribe customs. I say in the morning we all go see the chief and tell him just how we feel! I'm not going to stand around and have my sister miserable. It's time I do something for this family!"

In the morning I did just that. Ignoring Kale and Sokka's constant pleas for me not to do anything stupid, I marched straight into the palace interrupting a conversation the chief was having with an old man. "Alright Chief Arnook! This is getting way out of hand!" I snapped. The chief looked at me in surprise while Katara was grabbing my arm as if to stop me. Yue was seated beside her father, and looked at me with bewilderment.

The chief stood as if to tell me to be silent, but I continued so he couldn't speak. "Shut up! I'm talking. Your master what's his name has no right to say to my sister that she can't bend! Katara is the best water bender I've ever seen and she deserves to be taught as much as any guy out there! You need to get off your high horse and learn to value how women feel. Take the woman in your life for instance! Do you care that you're going to ruin the life of the most important thing that's happened to you? You need to open your eyes and get rid of these stupid customs, because if you don't you'll regret it in the future!"

The room was dead quiet when I finished, and I saw Yue stare at me with respect. She was proud of me for doing something she couldn't find the strength to do.

"Amber! I think you might have taken it a little far," Kale whispered in my ear, but I ignored him keeping my eyes planted on the chief's stunned face.

It seemed like a while till the chief finally came out of his shock, and when he did, he said, "How dare you! What our tribe does and believes in has nothing to do with-"

"Father!" Yue broke in, stopping her dad. "I think all Amber is trying to say, is that she believes it would only be fair that Katara and Aang should be able to practice water bending together, seeing as they both traveled so far to learn from Master Pakku."

Yue's dad stopped speaking, surprised by his daughter's outburst. Looking at her in amazement, we all saw she had stood with a look of determination in her eyes.

In the end Yue's words were the reason we all ended up standing in front of the Chief, Yue, Master Pakku, and a few other members of the royal family. The chief had requested for Master Pakku to come, but not to my surprise, Master Pakku still refused to teach Katara. She was outraged by this and started a fight with the powerful water bender, and after insane throws of ice and bursts of snow Master Pakku had imprisoned Katara in a cage of ice.

"This fight is over," Master Pakku said, starting to leave. As he passed my glaring gaze, he hissed, "Keep your fire bender nose out of our tribes business."

"Come back here! I'm not finished with you yet!" Katara shouted.

Pakku rolled his eyes. "Yes you are." He walked away from all of us then, but stopped and picked up something from the ground. "This is my necklace." He was holding the necklace my water tribe mom gave to Katara. The one she'd lost a few weeks ago but Aang retrieved.

"No it's not! It's mine! Give it back!" Katara cried thrashing in the ice that imprisoned her.

The man lowered the necklace with tears in his eyes, and when this happened Katara's icy prison vanished. "I made this sixty years ago- for the love of my life. For Kanna."

"My Gran- Gran was supposed to marry you?"

My eyes widened at Katara's words. What was she talking about? Gran Gran use to live here in the Northern water tribe? She left this safe majestic village to come to our icy terrain in the south over sixty years ago?

"Gran- Gran wouldn't let your tribe's customs run her life. That's why she left. It must've taken a lot of courage," Katara said. From the corner of my eye I saw Yue take off running from the crowd, and Sokka followed her. _Good luck, Sokka._

Master Pakku sighed, then turned and walked back over to Katara. "Now that you mention it, I do see some of her in you…" Then after a pause, he asked softly, "How is she?"

Katara weakly smiled. "I think she's happy."

He nodded, then handed her the necklace by placing it back around her neck. Stepping back, he spoke again with a weak smile. "That's good… I'm glad."

In the end Master Pakku agreed to teach Katara water bending, and as we made our way back to where we were staying to get a late lunch, I suddenly felt Katara grab my arm and pull me into a warm sisterly embrace. "Thank you so much Amber. It was because of your courage to stand against the chief that I was able find the strength to fight."

Shrugging, I said, "I was just annoyed with the guy. He was really beginning to irk me and I was happy to pull him off his high horse." Katara rolled her eyes, but gave me another hug and then went over to Aang to talk.

Kale was walking beside me, and I heard him let out a hard sigh. "You know… That was one of the craziest things I've ever seen you do. At the palace you were always so quiet and shy."

Smirking, I said, "I guess I'm tired of feeling so weak."

He nodded with understanding, then took my hand in his. I welcomed his hands warmth.

Later that night, as I lied on my cot and stared at the stone ceiling, I smiled to myself at my earlier bravery. I was tired of being weak. I wanted to show everyone that I too had the strength to fight for the things I wanted. No matter what, I knew deep in my heart I'd give father and Zhao everything they both deserved.

**(A/N: Sorry this took a while. I've been so busy with AP testing and Graduation approaching. I'll try to have the next chapter soon)**


	20. Revenge Part 1

"More balance! You're not balancing!" Gaku shouted. He was a mid-fifty year old with graying hair he kept tied back in two pony tails.

Smirking, I stared into the eyes of the eighteen year old teenager I was fighting. He was dressed in some water tribe armor and held in his shaky hands a sword. As he tried to fix his balance, I took a step again tightening my grip on my own sword. He backed up with fear in his eyes.

"You got this Turk! Take her down!" A man hollered in the crowd.

The guy Turk gripped his sword more firmly, then shouted and went in for the attack. As his blade came down on my own, I used my sword to push his own to the side and kick my foot on his right ankle. He fell into the snow with an 'oof' and dropped his sword beside him. As he reached for the handle of his sword again, I already pointed my blade to his throat winning the battle.

"Well done… Well done Amber. You've improved beyond anything I've ever seen," Master Gaku said, walking over to where I was sheathing my sword. "Keep up that swordsmen ship and you'll be better than Kale."

Kale shot me a smirk, and I shot him one back. Then I helped the boy off the ground and we bowed in respect. When I was done getting some extra tips from my new teacher, I walked back over to Kale and Sokka.

"That was amazing! You took that guy down in one kick!" Sokka exclaimed. Then he grabbed my head in a headlock and rubbed his knuckles against my scalp as I winced. "That's my little sister!"

Yanking away from him, I rubbed my soar head glaring at Sokka who was walking over to a few other warriors. Kale stayed beside me. "That was really amazing! You've gotten incredible since master Gaku took you on as his student. With a little more practice you might be able to beat me."

Shaking my head, I said, "I've only been fighting for two weeks Kale. I think I still have a lot of practice."

He sighed. "Yeah. You do." Then he smirked when he saw me glare at him, but I could only laugh it off after a moment.

The chief seemed to have more respect toward me now, which really surprised me since I showed him up in his own home. He wanted me to learn how to fight without my bending, saying he could use my fighting spirit to his own advantage. Since Katara was allowed to water bend, I was allowed to go to warrior training with my brother and Kale. It was really odd being the only girl, but it was fun getting to beat up all the guys.

"Well, I'm beat. Looks like class is over… Want to go grab something to eat?" he asked.

Nodding, I pulled off the outer armor pieces I wore and took my sword off my waist. After putting the equipment away, I told Sokka we were leaving and then Kale and I made our way from the warrior training platform toward the buildings of the village. We ended up finding a kind water tribe woman who gave us some steamed fish and moon peach slices. Then we found a nice spot on the edge of the snow sidewalk overlooking the water way below.

"It's nice not having to fight with fire for a change," I said, taking a bite of my fish.

He nodded, watching a gondola float by. "You never liked fire."

Shaking my head, I stared up at the sun beginning to lower in the sky. "I know it's supposed to give warmth and light, but it's also so destructive, and I don't want to hurt anyone."

"I always loved that about you. How out of everyone in the fire nation, you were the one with the biggest heart. Probably at times bigger than your mom's heart."

At the mention of my mom, I felt my heart tug in pain. "Speaking of that… What happened to her Kale?"

Kale stopped what he was about to say, and his brown eyes filled with sadness. "I'm not really sure. It happened about four years ago, right after news about Prince Lu Ten's death arrived. General Iroh was coming home from Ba Sing Sei so he could morn over his son's loss. When word came of this your father requested a meeting with Fire Lord Azulon. One of the guards told the cook it was to discuss Ozai becoming fire lord instead of Iroh. Azulon was angry at your dad and wanted Zuko dead so Ozai could feel what it was like to lose a child. That night the servants were talking about how Fire Lady Ursa and Ozai were fighting with each other in their chambers. The next morning the Fire Lady was gone and Fire Lord Azulon fell ill. They believe your mom might have poisoned him and ran, but others say he probably just died of old age."

My eyes widened when I heard this. My mom might have poisoned Fire Lord Azulon?

"To tell you the truth, I think your mom was the reason Fire Lord Azulon died. I think she felt bad that she couldn't protect you in the past, so to make up for it she protected Zuko by sacrificing herself. They never buried her body or even announced she was dead, so it could be she was just banished. Who knows in this crazy world?"

My breathing hitched at his words. "She might be alive… My mom might be out there…" Tears started to fall down my cheeks as another memory came to me.

_Sitting on my bed, I cried into my fire nation mother's dress as she held me to her. "I'm so sorry sweetheart. I'm so sorry I didn't stop him." _

_My father had just stopped me in the hall as I walked by with my mother, grabbed me by the shoulder, and slapped me hard in the face. Then grabbed my hair and yelled, "Don't you ever disgrace me in front of my father again you filthy runt."_

_Pressing my face harder into my mother's dress, I whimpered still feeling the painful sting on my cheek. My mother stroked my hair kissing the top of my head to calm me. After a moment, she broke into the lullaby I'd come to know so well._

"_My sweet dear flowerSo graceful and dearDo not cry this hourFor I am always here.I'll never leave your sideNo matter how far I be, Even past oceans wide, Through the deep dark sea.I will be with you alwaysMy burning flame so brightFor no passing dayswill take you from my sight."I fell asleep in my mom's arms as she sang the lullaby again._

"Amber? Amber!"

Kale's voice brought me back to the present and I looked at him with confusion. That was when I noticed he was holding my shaking hand in his firm strong one and he looked at me with worry.

"You okay?" he asked.

A blush pulled at my cheeks then and I looked away. "Yeah… Just remembering."

He sighed and looked back toward the water. "You worry me when you do that. Your eyes go blank and your whole body trembles."

Sighing, I pulled my knees close to my chest. "Sorry… I don't mean for it to happen. It's just sometimes it does. My memories like to hit me at times when I least expect it."

Kale frowned and furrowed his brows. "That's what worries me."

After we finished up our fish and moon peaches, Kale said something about finding Sokka and discussing something with him. I had a strong feeling he wanted to talk to Sokka about me. Not arguing though, I told him I'd go walk around the village. He nodded and took off in the direction he'd hoped he'd find Sokka.

Sighing, I walked through the water tribe village humming softly to myself. As I hummed I realized I was humming my mother's lullaby. It was a special lullaby, with a soft sweet melody that made me long to hear it from my mother's actual lips again. As I rounded a corner on a snow path that had no one on it, I stopped and narrowed my eyes. There was something strange about this emptiness, and something in my gut told me to take another route.

Turning around, I went to leave only to run square into a body. Slipping on the snow, I fell on my back wincing as pain surged through me. Even though I wore a puffy fur coat, the fall still hurt like crazy.

"You humiliated me today," a hard voice hissed. "Master Gaku says you're someone we should all look up to. I say he's completely gone insane." Suddenly I felt a heavy fur boot slam into my stomach and I slid a good three feet in the snow.

"Turk! Stop before you hurt her! You know Master Gaku won't like this if he finds out!" a male voice said.

"Shut up Goha! Remember that she beat you too. I say we put this fire nation tramp in her place!" There was another kick to my side, and I gritted my teeth in pain. Deep down I wanted to use my fire bending and give this guy what he deserved, but I knew the best way was to use the warrior skills I'd spent three weeks learning.

With gritted teeth, I turned on my stomach and pushed myself straight into a stand. Then I turned just as Turk went to grab me to stop me. Tightening my fist, I smashed my knuckles into his chin knocking the wind out of him. He fell to the snow with an 'oof' and I turned to run. His friend Goha stood there in disbelief, and I remembered him from yesterday's fight I'd won. These boys couldn't take a loss, could they?

The nineteen year old boy, with dark brown hair and gray eyes, suddenly turned to fury when he saw what I'd done to his friend. "You'll pay for that girl!" Then he ran toward me, and I was a little anxious by those really round muscles. He would be harder to fight than his friend. As he swung his fist at my face, I used my smaller body to my advantage. Dodging his swing by ducking, I let my body fall to the snow and used my upper strength to turn my body so my legs smacked into his shins.

Goha fell right beside me with a yell, and I got up again ready to run around him. "Oh no you don't!" Turk's hand shot out of nowhere pulling me to his chest as he wrapped his strong and hard arms around my waist. Then he tossed me straight into an icy wall of a house and I felt my body scream in pain as I fell into the snow again. "Nice try girl, but you can't bea-"

Jumping up again, I shouted, "I'm not giving up!" Then I once again shot toward Turk. His eyes widened as I ran at him, and he tried to jump out of the way. I grabbed his coat sleeve and managed to throw him into his own icy building. He fell on the ground with a grunt.

As both boys continued to try and collect themselves, I debated if I should stay and continue fighting. My instincts told me to fight, just to show these guys who was boss, but my gut told me to run, so I wouldn't hurt these boys any further. I went with my gut.

Turning, I started to run down the path to get away from the two guys on the ground.

"Get back here!" Turk screamed, and then I suddenly felt something sharp stab into the shoulder that had once already been stabbed. Screaming as a sharp pain shot through me, I stopped running and gritted my teeth as I pulled the water tribe knife out of my shoulder. Staring at the sharp shark tooth, I turned and glared daggers at the boy who was grinning mechanically. This was going to hurt for a week.

Throwing the knife on the ground, I yelled, "So that's how you're going to play! Fine!" Without another word I took off toward the grinning boy. His friend was still lying in the snow, watching Turk and I in horror. As I ran toward Turk, I dodged him as he swung at me with his fist. Then I grabbed him by the waist sending us both falling to the ground.

We struggled on the snow forever it seemed, Turk jabbing me in the stomach or face with his elbow. Once or twice I bit him on the arm or hand, and he growled trying to roll on top of me. At one point his heavy body lied on top of me, and I had trouble breathing as he clutched my throat with his hand. With as much force as I could, I threw my head forward hitting him square in the nose.

Turk howled in pain, falling off as he clutched his bloody nostrils. "I think you just broke it!" he shouted.

My head hurt like crazy, and my shoulder was in searing pain. Trying to stand up, I felt a kick to my face and crashed back down in the snow seeing black dots. "Turk! Stop! This is getting too far! You're going to kill her!"

Opening my eyes despite the agonizing pain in my head, I saw with horror Turk was holding the knife he'd earlier thrown at my shoulder. "I'm going to kill you fire nation filth so you no longer plague our home with your face!" As he went to stab the shark tooth knife straight into my heart, I watched with amazement as air blew out of nowhere nocking the guy a good five feet away from me.

"Amber!" Aang cried, landing beside me as I tried to collect my beaten and bruised body to stand. "I heard the screaming and came as fast as I could. Katara went to grab master Pakku."

Master Pakku? What good was he going to do for me?

"You have a small kid to fight your battles for you now! You're nothing like a warrior you coward!" Turk shouted, and I gritted my teeth in fury. I'm not the one that was fighting with a knife because I didn't have the guts to fight barehanded. Instead of saying that to him though, I managed to sit up and glare at the crazed eye boy who had blood dripping from his nose and still clutched the bloodstained knife.

"Turk! That's enough!" A sharp voice shouted, and we all looked over to see Master Pakku and Katara running over to us. Pakku bent a blast of snow into ice restraining both of Turk's hands and making him drop the knife. Walking over to the struggling boy, he hissed, "You may not be my student Turk, but let me assure you that I do not tolerate this type of violence. Amber is a loyal friend to this tribe, a guest to the chief and his daughter, and a close companion to the avatar. She is to be treated with respect and honor while she is here. You have disgraced our tribe!"

Sighing, I managed to stand but started to fall. Katara ran forward and caught me as I stumbled to try and regain my balance. "You need to lie back down," Katara said.

Shaking my head, I found my balance and said to master Pakku too tired and pained to deal with any of this crap, "Please don't be mad at him. He was just angry with me because I'm fire nation. I'm seriously use to it."

Pakku looked over at me with surprise, and Turk's struggling stopped as he looked at me in amazement. The other guy, Goha, must've taken off running because I didn't see him anywhere.

"No matter," Pakku said, "Turk should be punished for what he did. Especially after stabbing you."

"The creep broke my nose! Does no one care about that?!" Turk hissed.

Pakku rolled his eyes and crossed his arms annoyed. "I think you'll live." Another sharp pain shot through my shoulder, and I winced clutching it. "Katara… Get your sister to Healer Yugoda. I'll take care of this."

Sister? Wow… That one was new.

As Katara and Aang began to walk me away from master Pakku and the guy who wanted me dead, I heard Turk shout, "You're all fools! She'll destroy us all!"

Sighing, I was too tired to argue anymore. Katara was practically rushing us across the village toward Healer Yugoda's hut, and I constantly tried to reassure her I was fine. "It happens all the time Katara. Just calm down."

Katara turned in utter disbelief causing us to stop in the middle of a bridge. "Calm down! Calm down! How do you expect me to calm down when you've been stabbed in the shoulder by a knife? I can't just calm down!"

She then began to push me on toward the healers hut. She was freaking out, and as much as I loved her concerned and caring nature, it was kind of annoying at the moment. She was freaking out over a small scratch. I've had burns ten times worse.

Eventually we got to the healer, and when I was seated on one of the icy tables Aang reassured Katara I was in good hands and she could calm down. A kind old woman with gray hair and light blue eyes came over and forced me to move my hand from my shoulder. I winced as she examined the blood stains on my coat.

"You're going to have to strip to your bindings. I can't work with all these layers of clothing," she said.

Katara helped me take off my fur coat, and then helped me take off my blood soaked shirt. My chest was covered by bindings, so I didn't care that Aang was in the room. Katara always stripped to her bindings anyway to swim. As soon as my shirt was off, I knew exactly what would come next. The healer Yugoda gasped behind me, while Aang looked horrified. Katara didn't react, because she'd seen it so many times.

"Where did you get all these?" Yugoda asked, her cold hands tracing over the scars from burns, knives, and whips I'd received nine years ago. My whole back was covered, damaged, and decorated with the memories of my past.

My fists tightened in my lap as the memories tried to come to my mind. Zhao gave me every single burn, cut, and whip lash on my back, and I yearned for the day when I could inflict the same pain on him he'd inflicted on me.

"I'd rather not talk about it," I said. Aang now looked at me with understanding, realizing just who was to blame.

The woman set to work healing my shoulder then, the cool water soothing the pain little by little. As she worked in the damaged tissue and muscle, I heard her say, "This shoulder is terribly scarred already. Were you stabbed before?"

Looking at my sister who was watching me with surprise, I said softly, "An arrow shot into it. I was able to pull it out and treat it." Katara's eyes shot open in shock, then annoyance that I hadn't told her.

A gasp sounded in the room, and we all looked up to see Kale and Sokka at the doorway to Yugoda's small hut. Kale looked horrified, and I had a strong feeling he'd heard what I just said. Sokka stood beside him, relieved to see I was okay.

"What do you mean an arrow shot through your shoulder? I thought you were stabbed with a knife!" he said, looking really confused.

"The arrow was before, the knife was now. No big deal."

Yugoda scoffed behind me. "This is a big deal child! The knife cut deep through your tissue barely missing your veins. If it had gone any further you surely would've died."

Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I instead looked at Kale. He looked infuriated, his fists clenched as if he was ready to punch someone's face in.

"What happened? We heard you'd been rushed here for a severe wound, but no one explained to us how you got it," Sokka said, coming over to me with a look in his eyes. He wanted revenge as well.

With a sigh, I looked down at my hands which rested on my lap. "Master Pakku took care of it, so don't freak out… Turk attacked me because he was mad I beat him this morning."

"What?!" Kale cried, outraged by this news. "When I get my hands on him I'll-"

Sokka interrupted, "You must've put up a fight?"

Grinning, I proudly said, "I broke his nose."

My brother laughed, easing the tension a little, while Kale sighed calming down. Katara rolled her eyes, while Aang said, "Yeah! The whole thing was lopsided. Amber has a hard hit."

Smiling weakly, I suddenly gasped as pain shot through my shoulder. "No one said this would be pleasant," Yugoda snapped, as she started to heal the wound.

The healing lasted a good hour, and eventually Yagoda said she'd healed the main damage. "The rest will have to heal over time. No more fighting though. If you move your shoulder too much you might damage something again."

"What about warrior training?" I whined as she wrapped gauze around my shoulder.

Kale was the one to speak up. "Like Sokka and I are letting you come back. If Turk wanted revenge then there's a possibility he won't be the only one."

Sokka looked away from me when I shot him a questioning glance. Then I looked back at Kale hurt. "I can handle it. I'm not weak like I use to be."

"As your healer I agree with your friends. Warrior classes are completely off limits now," Yagoda said.

These words were the reason why for the rest of the week I was stuck sitting in our room completely glum. Sokka and Kale were at warrior training, Katara and Aang were with master Pakku, and I was trapped in this room with just Momo to cheer me up.

Once or twice I'd go visit Appa to hang out with him, but it was cold and I enjoyed the warmth of our small room. Now I was with Appa again, only this time Yue and Sokka were walking over to us looking like they were up to something.

"Uh… I need to borrow Appa," Sokka mischievously said.

Looking at Yue, I saw her staring at the giant bison with amazement at how big it really was. Rolling my eyes, I looked at Appa with a smirk. "See that Appa... My brothers trying to use you." Appa groaned as if to respond to my statement.

"Shut it Amber… Shouldn't you be resting that shoulder?"

Pressing my hand to the shoulder that was only sore, I frowned. "I've been resting for a week, Sokka. I think I'll live now."

"I still can't believe you fought him. You're very brave," Yue said.

I smiled at her. "You should have seen me a month ago. I always cried over everything."

"You were going through a lot," Sokka said, then began to guide Yue over to Appa.

"Well you kids have fun. Don't be out too late," I joked. Then I turned and made my way across the stable grounds Appa had been staying in, which was just an icy pin with a bunch of hay.

"We're not kids!" Sokka shouted after me.

Turning, I waved to them with my good arm as I rounded the corner. Then I turned and left them to their date.

Walking for a while down the icy path toward the snow bridge that crossed over the manmade waterway, I looked up at the snow that slowly fell to the earth. Taking my glove off of my hand, I held it out and let the snow melt on my palm. The only plus size to the North Pole was the snow.

_Amber…_

My hand flew down and I jumped when Roku's voice echoed through my head. The gold bracelet around my wrist was warm as Roku connected with me.

_You must alert Aang. Zhao is coming with his fleet. You will all have to prepare this tribe for battle._

His words shocked me, and I saw as he sent images to my mind of Zhao standing in the control room of a giant vessel. Behind Zhao stood my uncle, who didn't look happy one bit about what Zhao had planned. Why was uncle only there though? Where was Zuko? Roku continued to show me the massive fleet Zhao had acquired of almost thirty ships. He must've not only come for Aang, but also to take over the Southern Water Tribe. If that happened, then many of these people would die.

Looking up at the sky, I saw black snow begin to fall toward the earth. "How long do we have?" I asked.

_Only till tomorrow. Zhao will begin the battle at sunrise, when fire benders are most powerful._

Turning, I took off as fast as I could toward the edge of the village where I prayed to the spirits I'd find Aang and Katara. When I got to the icy platforms where Pakku and his pupils practiced, they were all staring at the black snow falling with question. The only one looking terrified was Katara.

Running over to Aang, who was staring up at the sky with a puzzled expression, I cried, "We have to alert the chief. Zhao's coming, and he's bringing a whole fleet to attack."

Aang looked at me with surprise. "How do you-"

"Roku told me. We have to prepare for battle before it's too late. He showed me there are almost thirty vessels headed this way. Zhao probably convinced my father to give him more troops."

Katara had joined me and Aang where we stood on the icy training ground. "There's no way these people can defeat thirty naval ships. We won't last a day!"

"What's this you speak of? What naval ships?" Master Pakku asked, walking over to us sternly.

Katara answered. "The snow is turning black because there's soot. That means a lot of fire naval ships are headed this way, and we have a feeling they're not here to talk."

Pakku looked at us with question. "How do you all know this?"

_Tell him, _Roku said.

Yeah… Sure…

With a heavy breath, I answered, "Avatar Roku told me. I have a special connection to his spirit. He showed me through my mind what's coming this way. We have to prepare as many warriors as we can for battle. Admiral Zhao is a powerful man who will fight till his last soldier to get what he wants. He has no care for human life and will slaughter everyone who gets in his way."

Pakku believed what I spoke (though he was bewildered I could talk to Roku), and later that evening a meeting was called in the great hall for all the warriors. Standing behind the warriors who sat on the cold ground watching the chief, I looked among the crowd and saw Turk and Goha seated in the crowd. Turk had bandages over his nose from me breaking it last week.

"The day we have feared for so long has arrived. The Fire Nation is on our doorstep. It is with great sadness I call my family here before me, knowing well that some of these faces are about to vanish from our tribe. But they will never vanish from our hearts. Now, as we approach the battle for our existence, I call upon the great spirits! Spirit of the Ocean! Spirit of the Moon! Be with us! I'm going to need volunteers for a dangerous mission."

Kale and Sokka both stood as the rest of the warriors stood. Looking at Katara, I saw her glance at Aang with fear. They knew this battle would hard, and they also were aware that it would take some miracle to defeat Zhao and this enormous fleet. Staring around at the faces of fear that developed on every warriors face, I felt a pang of fury toward Zhao. This place always seemed so peaceful, and so bright. Zhao's presence was bringing a dark aura that caused horror and despair to fill this place.

Zhao wouldn't get away with hurting these people. There had to be something I could do to save these people from losing any of their own.

Stepping forward, I heard my sister call out my name in disbelief. Ignoring her I walked over to the chief who stared at me in surprise. We shared a moment of silence in which the chief gave me an uncertain look. He however noticed the determination and fire in my eyes, and he nodded with understanding giving me the three line mark of a warrior with red paint.

Bowing slightly, I turned and stood beside Kale who was utterly horrified that I had stepped forward. He needed to relax. I wasn't the same cowardly girl I use to be. My courage was stronger than before, and I was determined more than ever to win this battle. If that meant fighting Zhao one on one I was willing to take that fight.

Only an hour later we began to prepare ourselves for battle in the weapon room. I'd been avoiding Kale and Sokka as much as I could, mostly because I knew they'd ambush me and tell me how foolish and immature I was being. Then they'd probably bring up some crap about my shoulder.

Sharpening another spear, I heard footsteps come toward me and I prayed to the spirits it wasn't Kale or Sokka. "What are you thinking?" a voice asked, and my eyes widened in surprise. Looking up with question, I saw Gaho staring down at me annoyed. His really big muscles made me feel so tiny compared to him. "You won't last a second on one of those vessels."

Rolling my eyes, I sharpened the spear with my rock annoyed by this guy. "You won't either. We all know this isn't a picnic."

"I just want you to watch your back. Turk still holds a grudge against you, so don't think we're happy we have to work with you."

"You use "we" a lot," I muttered. "Is Turk your leader or something?"

Gaho scowled. "He's my brother."

Brother huh… That's surprising. "Well tell your brother I'll stay out of his way if he stays out of mine." Gaho glared down at me, then turned and stomped away.

Sighing, I went back to my work. Last thing I wanted was more conflict between Turk and I. He wasn't my top priority anyway.

"Amber! Carry some of those spears out to the meeting room!" Chief Arnook called.

Gathering up my five spears I'd been sharpening, I ran out of the training room, down the hall, and into the great hall. There was already a pile of weapons being stacked for the battle. Dropping my spears, I turned and began to make my way back toward the weapon room. As I walked down the dimly lit hall, I passed a doorway not thinking something would suddenly grab me from inside.

A hand grabbed my wrist and yanked me into the room making me shriek and close my eyes. Getting shoved against the icy wall, I looked at my captor in terror, only to find with shock there were two.

"Sokka… Kale… What are you guys doing?"

Kale let go of my wrist while Sokka got in front of me. From the candle light of the room I could see neither was happy.

"Have you lost your mind? Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Sokka snapped, slamming his hand beside my face so I was sandwiched between him and the wall.

Staring into my brothers hard protective eyes, I understood the emotions he was feeling. He was concerned for my safety, and was against everything I was about to do. If he could only see why I needed to do this… Then maybe he would understand.

"This is my choice," I began, looking down so I didn't have to see the hurt in his eyes. "I'm tired of always being on the sideline. I want to help these people."

Kale scoffed. "Help these people. Is that what you keep telling yourself? Sokka and I aren't stupid. We know you're only doing this so you can get to Zhao." My fists tightened at the name and I felt my blood boil. They didn't know how strongly I felt about this. My only desire at the moment was to destroy Zhao; to end him before he hurt anyone again. "Sokka and I aren't letting you do this. Revenge isn't the answer."

Sighing, I tried to maneuver my way around Sokka's body till I was off the wall. "Look… I know you guys think I'm a girl who runs into trouble everywhere I turn, but I'm stronger now. I'm going to defeat Zhao and show him that I'm not the same little girl he tortured and tried to kill nine years ago."

The room was silent for a moment, and I saw Sokka look defeated knowing he couldn't change my mind. Kale was still determined. "So what about your shoulder? You can't fight or bend last time I checked."

Smirking, I held up my left hand. "I still have my good arm. Zhao will be doomed the moment I step foot on his vessel."

"Please stop and think about what you're saying! Zhao is stronger than you, Amber. He'll take you down in one punch," Kale snapped.

Frowning, I felt hurt. Hurt because Kale didn't think I could do this. "I don't care. I've been plagued by the memories Zhao has left me with, and I'm ready to finally be able to find peace." Pushing past Kale and my brother, I started to leave.

"We just want you to be careful," Sokka said causing me to stop at the door frame and feel guilty. "If something were to happen to you I don't know what I'd do with myself. I promised mom and dad I'd protect you."

Tears began to fall from my tired eyes, and I shut them trying to push the pain inside me back. Turning, I ran back toward Sokka and grabbed him in a hug. He was surprised at first, but hugged me back a moment later. We stood there for a moment sharing our warm embrace, until finally I pulled. "I promise I'll be okay. You need to worry more about yourself. Watch out for the soldiers with gold eyes. They're the most dangerous."

Then I turned and started to leave. Kale stood there looking so pained to watch me put myself in harm's way. Walking over to him, I gave him a hug too. "It's okay. You won't lose me any time soon. I'm not going anywhere." His eyes looked so broken and torn at the thought of losing me.

Without another word, I kissed him lightly on the cheek, then turned and ran out of the room. They'd see… I was going to make it out of this alive.

"… _Agony… pain… blue fire… death." _The fortune teller's words suddenly rushed through my head and I stopped in the hall in shock. Why was I suddenly thinking of that?

_Because you really are scared, _my heart cried out, and I leaned against the icy wall knowing it was true. What if the fortune teller's words came true today? What if I did die?

"No! Don't think of that," I hissed, low enough for only myself to hear. Pushing from the wall I ran back to the weapon room to get my mind off of it.

Later that night, after hours of blazing hot fireballs attacked the tribe and finally came to a stop, we began to ready our armor for the morning to come. As I placed on the metal chest plate and yanked on my metal boots, I was annoyed at how hot it was in this armor. How did Zuko walk around in this crap all the time? It was like an enclosed room of heat.

"Amber… There you are," a voice said, and I turned in surprise to see Master Gaku walking over a guy who looked annoyed. He was a guy, probably nineteen, with dark brown hair which he had slightly in a ponytail. His chin was somewhat square and his blue eyes stared at me hard. The way he walked over I could tell he was pretty cocky. "This is Hahn. He will be your partner in this mission."

My jaw dropped as Gaku turned to Hahn. "Amber knows the layout of these ships and knows the leaders fighting methods. I want you to take as much knowledge as you can from her and have her back during your mission tomorrow morning." Gaku then turned and left, leaving Hahn and I together.

Staring at Yue's fiancé, I couldn't help but cross my arms and glare. He scowled at me. "Don't think I'm happy about any of this wither fire girl. If I had my way I'd drown you in the canal." Rolling my eyes, I turned and bent to grab my fire nation helmet. "You're not even going to respond to what I just said? Are you a coward or something?"

Suddenly I turned whipping out my knife from my boot and holding the sharp point to Hahn's neck. His eyes widened when he felt the cold metal touch his throat. "I'm not a coward," I hissed, stepping closer to him with fire in my eyes. He wasn't going to come over and insult me. I had so much more to deal with than some cocky, stupid dude who was marrying Princess Yue. "You better keep three feet behind me on our mission tomorrow. I have no time to deal with a stupid arrogant jerk like you!" Then I put my knife back in my boot and walked off from the guy who watched me go in shock.

In the morning it was time for battle. No one had slept a wink during the cold dark night, and I felt uneasy as the sun began to rise. As the warriors finished up their armor and what not, I looked out the windows toward the fire navy ships docked a good hundred yards from shore. It was time to get my revenge, but was I strong enough to defeat Zhao?

_Have faith, _Roku's voice chimed through my head. Nodding, I felt the bracelet around my wrist was warm when he spoke.

Staring out at the ships in the distance, I looked at the main vessel where Zhao most likely stood. Today was the day. Today I'd get vengeance on everything Zhao had done to me.

It was time for revenge.

**(So there's part 1. Part 2 will hopefully be done soon.)**


	21. Revenge part 2

It was sunrise when the warriors and I started to prepare for battle. Kale and Sokka were nowhere to be seen and I was growing worried. When I asked Gaku if he'd seen them, he told me he had to take them off the mission: Something about Sokka and Kale getting into a fight with Hahn. My curiosity got the best of me and I asked one of the other warriors about it too.

"Hahn said some snide comment to the guy Sokka about being unworthy of Princess Yue, and then he said something along the lines of you being a fire nation harlot. Both Sokka and the guy Kale attacked Hahn and were forced to leave."

My eyes widened when the warrior spoke this to me. Rage boiled inside me at the thought of Hahn saying those things. First he says that crap to Sokka about being unworthy when Sokka's been through and seen more than Hahn will ever go through and see. Then he calls me a harlot! He was beginning to get on my last nerve. If he wasn't careful I'd beat him to a pulp just as I had done to Turk.

Walking back across the meeting room, I tried not to march straight up to Hahn and sock him square in the jaw. He was standing amongst five warriors, talking to them about who knows what with that cocky grin. When he saw me, he tapped one of the warriors beside him and they both looked my way with narrowed eyes. Looking away quickly so I didn't have an all-out staring contest, I focused on my objective.

Master Gaku and Chief Arnook stood at the massive entrance waiting for me to come and take charge. Hahn wanted to lead this mission completely and knock me out of the whole thing together. The Chief wouldn't allow it because I had been the only warrior besides Sokka and Kale who had ever witnessed a real battle.

When the Chief saw I was ready, he turned to all the warriors saying, "The time for battle has come. My brothers, you are about to embark on a dangerous journey that could be the last for many of you. My family and I are proud of your courage and determination to fight against these men and save our home." As the chief spoke Hahn walked over and stood beside me trying to make himself out to be the leader. Rolling my eyes when he smirked my way, I turned my attention back toward the chief. "Now I want you all to follow Amber's orders as she leads you on this mission. Set all animosity aside and work together to fight for your friends, families, and this tribe. Let's defeat these invaders and bring peace back to our home!"

The warriors all cheered, except for Turk, Goha, and Hahn.

"Alright men! Let's fall out!" Hahn shouted, trying to take charge again. There was no way I was fighting over this with him. If he wanted to lead then fine.

As we all began to load into the canoes that we would use to paddle out toward the massive ship, I clutched the knife at my waist side with building determination. If we were successful in this mission, I'd get to take on Zhao and finally defeat him. Looking at the ten warriors around me, I saw Turk, Goha, and Hahn whispering amongst one another. The rest of the group looked really nervous as they continued to row us along.

Getting closer, we were relieved the sun was still rising and the left over darkness could shield us from the fire nation's view. Approaching the vessel I turned back toward the warriors dressed in their fire nation uniforms. "Remember what I told you all. While were on board don't attack until I give the signal. One wrong move can jeopardize this whole mission. The Fire Nation is ruthless and they'll not stop until they get what they want. We have to be careful."

The group nodded except for three guys. An escape of laughter rang from Hahn, Turk, and Goha. "This is war, girl! We have no time to follow some stupid plan. We all agree that when we get on the ship, we attack the first chance we get," Hahn said, and Turk and Goha nodded in approval.

One warrior spoke up saying, "But Master Gaku and the chief say that Amber knows more about fire nation vessels than any of us. I feel we should listen to her."

Hahn scoffed, standing and making the canoe tip slightly. We all held to our seats in shock. "Listen to her! She's fire nation guys! She could be signing our death wish as we speak."

"The only one signing our death wish is you Hahn, and that's because you won't sit down and shut up! The ships are getting closer and if we're heard this whole mission will be pointless!" My fists were steaming inside the fire nation gloves I wore, and I felt my blood boiling as I tried not to throw Hahn off the boat. The warriors were surprised by my words, and I even saw Turk and Goha look scared by what I'd said.

"Hah! This mission was already pointless when you were assigned our leader. You don't know a thing about defending our tribe," Hahn snapped.

Rolling my eyes, I looked away from him back toward the direction we were headed. There was no way I was having a fight with Hahn today.

As we got closer and closer toward the ship, I saw everyone's faces grow paler and paler. Smiling reassuringly at everyone, I said, "Just remember to watch out for the gold eyed soldiers and you'll be fine."

"You'd know all about gold eyes wouldn't you, fire bender!" My fists clenched when Hahn spoke again. He was about to get a slap on that pretty face of his.

We eventually reached Zhao's ship undetected and began to climb up the anchor chain to get into the ship. We found ourselves on the mid-levels of the ship, where the crew men usually slept from what I remembered. Making sure all our disguises were secure and our faces were hidden, we began to make our way through the halls of the fire nation vessel. As we did memories of my journey with Zuko came back to me.

Where was Zuko anyway? It concerned me when Roku showed me Zhao and Uncle earlier, but Zuko was nowhere to be seen. He was my brother, and I was worried about him.

Three soldiers suddenly passed by us and I saw a few warriors tense beside me. The soldiers just nodded at the eleven of us as we passed and we nodded back trying to remain cool. If we could just get to the lower decks then we'd be fine.

"Screw this! I'm not going to take my sweet time," Hahn spat, and then took off running down the hall leaving us.

"Hahn!" I shouted, but he was already gone. We all stood frozen in the hall, our eyes wide as our supposed leader left us. If he screwed up this mission I'd be the one to personally kill him. "Come on. We have to hurry. I give it five minutes until this whole ship is searching for intruders."

We eventually made our way down a few levels into the engine room. It was hot and smelled of sweat and coal. Engineers were busy shoving coal in the steel furnaces or repairing steam leaks from the thousands of pipes. The room was more like a long hall and it was hard to breath. They paid no mind to us because of our disguises and we all were relieved. If we'd immediately been discovered, they'd have called for help before we could even raise our sword.

Looking back at the warriors, I nodded my head and pulled out my knife. The warriors pulled out their weapons as well. Turning, I yanked my helmet off and threw it on the ground. "Alright everyone! We're taking over this vessel. Surrender and we'll let you live. Resist and you'll die!" The engineers looked at us with horror, and quickly dropped their shovels or wrenches surrendering. They allowed us to tie the twenty of them up without any resist and gag their mouths so they couldn't call for help. Turning back to the warriors after the last engineer was tied up, I shouted, "I'm going to try and extinguish the fire in these vents. Keep an eye on the engineers."

Turning back toward the furnaces, I yanked off my metal gloves and threw them on the floor. Then I held my hand out toward the flames in the large blazing furnaces and concentrated. Using all the power I had, I managed to manipulate the flames inside them and kill the fire in all of them. The ship groaned as the dead fire power forced it to a stop.

Gasping for air, I felt my body stumble from the exhaustion. Using that much fire power with no air to breathe in was hard, and I felt my lungs burn and my head ache from the hard bending I'd just done. A hand steadied me as I started to fall, and I looked over to see who it was in surprise. Goha immediately jerked away from my shoulder when he saw me look his way, then went to walk beside Turk who was still gagging an engineer. So much for not having my back.

Smiling weakly to myself, I managed to regain my balance and turn back to the group. "Alright! Phase one is complete. We've successfully stopped the ship from advance. Now we need to get to the control room so we can signal to all the other ships to retreat."

The warriors all cheered then fixed their helmets and sheathed their weapons back. "That's if Hahn hasn't ruined it yet," I muttered to myself, turning and beginning to lead them back up the steps out of the engine room. Placing my helmet back on, I put my knife back in its holder and started to head through the halls back toward the upper decks. As we walked I winced at the pain in my head. Knocking out all that fire really took some strength from me.

As we got halfway up the ship, we passed some soldiers again. This time they stopped us. "Men! Admiral Zhao wants everyone to be on the lookout; He fears there are intruders aboard. By the way this ship suddenly stopped we fear he may be correct." Looking back at the warriors, I was surprised when Turk spoke. "Yes sir. We'll definitely keep an eye out."

The soldiers nodded and then ran down the hall to go investigate why the engineers weren't moving the ship along. When they were out of eye and ear shot, we all sighed in relief. Thank goodness they didn't catch us. It was a bit surprising they didn't get suspicious at why ten of us 'soldiers' were walking through the halls together.

Eventually we made it out on deck, and I saw with horror the ships were still firing at the great wall of the Northern Water Tribe. Men on deck were running back and forth to different catapults where they released large balls of fire that soared at the tribe hitting the wall, streets, and homes. They'd already managed to break through one wall, and they were probably close to breaking through the second wall of the massive snowy gate. Soldiers could be seen in the distance running through the first hole.

The invasion was already happening. Our plan for a retreat signal was pointless now. Turning back to the warriors, who stood as horrified as I did, I said to them all over the fighting, "Get back to the canoe and return to the tribe so you can help the water benders defend your home. There's no point in doing anything else here seeing as the invasions already happened. Even if we signal a retreat, the fire nations already fighting. They won't give up now no matter what. I'll go find Hahn and we'll meet you guys back at the tribe." The warriors were surprised by my words, and they looked at one another unsure.

Goha stepped forward then, and turned to the group. "You heard her! Back to the canoe!"

By this point we'd attracted the attention of the soldiers on deck, and I saw them turn toward us with realization. "It's the intruders!" A soldier shouted loudly.

Turning back to the group I felt a new determination fill inside me. "Go! I'll hold them off!" The warriors all took off running back below the deck.

Without hesitating, I turned back to the soldiers who were running at me with spears and fire in their hands. Smiling under my helmet, I darted forward with my knife ready. As thirty soldiers advanced on me, I ducked, dodged, and smashed into at least ten of them sending them on the ground. It was hard to hit their bodies since they weighed a hundred or two hundred pounds more than me. With my knife I stabbed a few in the leg, at the part where their armor cut off exposing pants I could easily slice into. They cried out in pain and dropped to the ground.

"Stop him!" A soldier shouted to the remaining men, and I tried hard to keep fighting with just my knife. It was tiring though, moving in this metal armor. If they discovered who I was though, they'd turn me straight over to Zhao and who knew what he'd do to me.

Running past their blasts of fire and dangerous spears, I managed to maneuver around one soldier knocking him unconscious with the handle of my knife, and I was able to disarm a guy with a spear by grabbing his hand and twisting his arm back. He howled in pain and dropped his spear, then fell to the ground. When he was down I knocked him unconscious too with my knife handle. So far I'd taken down at least fifteen soldiers, and that was only half. My body was killing me from my nonstop fighting, and I needed to breath and rest. After this battle I felt ready to sleep for a week.

An explosion sounded in the quarters below suddenly, and the whole naval ship shook sending all of us falling back. Landing on my butt, I tried to regain myself and contemplate what had happened. The only thing I could picture was that the warriors had set off some explosions to escape the soldiers. As I was about to stand again, I felt two men grab me on both sides and yank me up. They were both out of breath, just as I was, and by their hard grips on my armor I could tell they were furious. They twisted my arms, making me gasp from the sharp pain the caused and drop my knife. "You're in for it now boy," a soldier hissed, then he tore off my helmet and my long black hair fell out.

The ten soldiers around me all jumped back in shock at what they saw, as I struggled in the tense hold of my captors. One soldier stepped forward and hissed through his helmet, "You! You're that fire nation traitor! The one who's been aiding the avatar!"

My body was too tired to fight anymore. Instead I gritted my teeth and snapped at him, "Yeah! So what? At least I'm fighting for what's right? You're all cowards!"

The soldier was outraged by my backtalk, and I felt his metal glove smash into my face. The unbearable pain from the impact sent black dots to my eyes and I felt my brain go fuzzy. Last thing I remember is the same soldier hissing, "Let's take her to Admiral Zhao." Then I was out cold.

When I came to a few hours later, I groaned at the intense pain in my head. Trying to move my hand to touch my pulsing scalp, I noticed I was stuck and something wasn't letting me move my arms or legs. Weakly, I managed to open my eyes only to wince when the light from a flame shot into my vision causing another migraine to hit me. Groaning, I finally was able to open my eyes.

To my utter terror, I opened them to find I was cuffed to a wooden chair and my feet were tied to the chairs legs in a very uncomfortable position. Someone had put metal gloves around my hands to keep me from fire bending, but I'd otherwise been stripped of my armor and left in my water tribe shirt and trousers. My knife was gone and my feet were bare, meaning if I tried to run on these steel floors I wouldn't make it very far.

Looking around, I found I was in a small room with what seemed to be a rectangular table that appeared to be for meetings and looking over charts. I only thought this because there were maps of every nation laid out on the table.

"Well, well. Sleeping beauty finally awakes," a cold voice hissed, and I cringed knowing exactly who it was. "You sent fifteen of my soldiers to the infirmary. I'd be furious with you; however I'm too impressed to care." Watching Zhao approach me from the doorway with shivers going up and down my spine, I winced when he went to grab my chin with his rough firm hand. "How is it that someone once so weak and fragile, has become such a powerful young woman?"

Gritting my teeth, I tried to break from the cuffs locking me to the chair. "By having drive. My drive is to end your sad, miserable, and worthless life." Another slap to my cheek rang in my ears; only this time I didn't let unconsciousness take me over.

"You still have the same tongue from when I had you imprisoned last time. Tell me something, Princess... The blue spirit that saved you from the stronghold prison a few weeks ago; did you ever discover his identity?"

My lips locked as I kept my mouth shut. There was no way I was telling Zhao my brother was the one they called 'The Blue Spirit'. Then Zuko definitely would be in danger.

Zhao watched my face as I became defensive and ready to keep my mouth shut. "No need for you to hide it girl. I've already taken care of the culprit. The Blue Spirit died two weeks ago after his filthy ship blew to dust. It was about time he died too, seeing as he was getting on my last nerve anyway."

My eyes widened at his words, and I felt pain twist in my chest. No... Zuko can't be dead... He just can't be.

Tears were falling down my cheeks, and with rage I hissed, "You're lying! I know you're lying! Zuko wouldn't die by the hands of you!"

Zhao laughed harshly. "So you did know his identity. Well girl, he technically died by the hands of pirates."

Pirates? My heart stopped at the memory of when Katara was chained to that tree, and Zuko was working with the pirate captain to get Aang in exchange for a scroll. They'd both fought, and in the end the captain lost his ship to the falls. I'm sure the captain hated Zuko after that day, and I had no doubt these were the pirates that killed him.

"NO!" I cried, tightening my eyes as sobs tried to escape me. "You're lying! You can't be telling the truth... you can't be." The last word came out in a broken whisper, as I felt my body convulse from sobs that escaped me.

"If only your brother could see you now... Crying over his demise. You two were so inseparable when you were kids. Of course you probably don't remember that," Zhao hissed, and I sobbed again, feeling more pain build inside me.

Zhao was wrong about that. I did remember... I remembered...

_My six year old self ran across the palace garden, the grass brushing against my bare feet as I darted straight toward my seven year old brother Zuko. He was seated by the pond, staring at his reflection in the water. "Zuko!" I cried, excited to find him. _

_My brother looked at me with bored gold eyes, but they immediately brightened when they saw my smile. "Amber!" Just as he spoke my name, I laughed and grabbed him pulling us both into the pond. We went down with a splash, and luckily the water was only four inches high. _

_My brother groaned when he saw how wet he was and then shoved me off making me splash in the water again. "You got me soaked!" It came out as a mix between a whine and a hidden amusement. I knew Zuko was starting to have fun now._

_With a grin I splashed him with water making him cover his face with shock. "Sorry. Mommy told me to cheer you up." _

_My brother looked at me annoyed at first, but then something sparked in his golden eyes. Enjoyment with a hint of determination. "It's okay," he finally said. Then to my surprise he jumped at me and we both fell back in the water again. We laughed loudly as we wrestled in the pond, not caring what mom or dad would say when they saw our soaked and muddy clothes._

_When we finally got out, we lied back on the grass out of breath and still laughing. "You're the best brother ever Zuko," I said finally, after our laughter had died down._

_He glanced over at me with a grin that showed how much those words meant to him. "And you're my most favorite sister in the whole world." Then he took my hand and we both stared up at the passing clouds with smiles on our young childlike faces._

Sobs escaped me harder, and I tried to choke them back not wanting to show this cocky, cruel, grinning man my weakness. "You have no clue what you're saying!" I screamed. "I remember more than you think!" Then I managed to stop my sobs and bite my tongue drawing blood. There was no way I was crying my heart out in front of Zhao to allow him to be amused. "And I remember," I spat, finally able to control my sobs, "Why I took this mission!" With all the power I had in my blood, I shot my purple fire at the gloves surrounding my hands. They shot off across the room smashing into the steel wall and leaving dents.

Zhao jumped back in horror as I used Roku's power inside me to break the cuffs on my chair with just the yank of my hands, and I managed to burn the rope around my legs with my freed fingers. Then jumping from the chair, I shot a blast of bright purple flames at Zhao with my foot screaming, "This is for my brother!"

Zhao jumped out of the way, his eyes wide as he watched my unnatural flames hit the wall burning the steel. Running at him, I shot more fire at his face, and I saw I managed to brush a few flames against the side of his cheek bone. He cried out from the burn, then turned and shot his own fire at me. The orange flames were easily deflected by myself and made into my own fire. Shooting Zhao's previous attack back at him, I sent him flying into the wall and heard a loud smack as his body connected with steel.

The door to the room we were in suddenly smashed open and soldiers came running in to detain me. As they grabbed onto my struggling body, I screamed, "I'll kill you Zhao! I'll kill you for everything you did to me! I'll kill you for Zuko! I hate you, and can't wait to see you dead!"

"Knock her out!" Zhao ordered with pain, and before his words could sink into my enraged mind, I felt something hard hit my head. The impact sent me on the ground again, and I let darkness take me once more.

When I came to this time, it was because something cold and wet splashed all over my face. Gasping in shock, I awoke to find I was in a metal prison cell on the cold hard floor. Looking up in surprise, I saw with blurry vision my uncle stood above me. "Amber... Thank the spirits Zhao didn't kill you."

When he spoke, I winced as pain shot through my forehead. Then I opened my mouth to speak, only to cough out hard. Uncle helped lift my limp and tired body, and I felt him press a wooden cup to my lips. "Drink some water. It will help."

Sipping the cool liquid with more thirst than I'd ever felt before, I almost complained when the cup was empty. When I finally was able to find my voice, I whispered hoarsely. "What happened?"

Iroh sighed, seeing I was better than I looked. "After you attacked Zhao he and his soldiers carried you to the lower parts of the ship. Zhao kept spitting about how he wanted to kill you so much, but I guess he knew the fire lord wouldn't be pleased to find he'd ended your life. Fire Lord Ozai wants you alive. So I guess Zhao put you in this cell, not thinking you'd wake up anytime soon."

My whole body felt so weak, but I knew I had to find the strength to get up. "He killed him," I whispered, more tears falling down my eyes as Zhao's words came back to me. "Zuko's dead..."

Iroh chuckled. "Silly Amber... Your brother is fine. He managed to escape the blast and is in the Northern Water Tribe as we speak."

It took a second to register what Iroh had said, probably because my body was in so much pain. Then his words finally sunk in and I gasped in shock. "He's alive... He's really alive!" A sob of relief came out of me, and I felt Iroh lift me more so he could pull me into his warm embrace. "He's alive," I cried, pressing my face into Iroh's arm as he held me to him.

"General Iroh!" A soldier suddenly called, and I felt my uncle turn to its owner. My body went tense.

"Relax Amber. It's only Lieutenant Jee. He's on our side."

"Sir. Admiral Zhao's looking for you. He said it's time to head out," Jee said, and I heard him walk over to us. Looking up with exhaustion, I saw a man who did look very familiar. Then I realized he was one of the guys who once worked for Zuko. He smiled weakly at me when he saw me looking, and I looked away embarrassed. "He also say's he wants us to bring the girl. Something about wanting her to see him destroy everything she loves."

My eyes widened at his words while Iroh sighed. "And how does he expect her to follow? She's too weak to move."

In the end I was pulled up by two soldiers and practically dragged from my prison cell, up a few levels, and finally out on deck where soldiers were loading in dinghy's. It was sunset, and I realized a whole day had passed by and I'd been unconscious through most of it. My uncle was already standing beside Zhao, his eyes staring at the massive tribe with horror. He knew what Zhao was doing was wrong, but he could not be a traitor and stop him.

"Ah... There she is," Zhao hissed, walking over to my weak body. Staring at him with narrowed eyes, I saw he had a bandage on his cheekbone where I'd burned him. His hand grabbed my chin then, and I was forced to look into his gold orbs. "We'll have plenty of time to talk on our way back to the fire nation. Now though, I want you to come and see just how powerful I truly am. After today, you will fear me." Then he punched me in the stomach, and I cried out from the pain. "Don't think about running, or fighting," he hissed. "If you do I'll kill those water tribe kids you love so much."

My eyes widened, and I looked at Zhao with terror. "Keep them out of this! This is between me and you!" Zhao punched me again, only this time it was my ribs and I heard a crack. A scream escaped me as pain shot through my whole body.

"Zhao!" Iroh suddenly shouted, grabbing him when he went to hit me again. "I may be under your authority, but I can't stand here and allow you to hurt my niece. She is still my family, and princess of the Fire Nation!"

Zhao growled, yanking from my uncle. "She lost that title when she joined the avatar. Now she's a traitor to her father and her nation!"

Uncle looked furious. "Either way I cannot allow you to harm her anymore. She's just a child."

Zhao scoffed and turned away. "Just a child... She's a freak with powers someone like her should not be blessed with." Then he turned to me again and yanked back my hair causing me to cry out as he almost pulled strands out of their roots. "You will watch me destroy this tribe, and then we will return to the fire nation where I will get to watch your father destroy you!"

Letting go of my hair, I gasped from the pain radiating through my scalp. My whole body was crying out in pain, but I didn't want to cry anymore. Now that I knew Zuko was alive, I found that I had no more reason to cry. Zhao's blows on me were just like the past, and I was use to the pain he caused me no matter how great each blow hurt.

"Come on! Let's move out," Zhao ordered, then headed over to a dinghy. The soldiers forced me along, and I felt my ribs scream in agony as I was shoved into the small wooden boat. We were rowed to the icy platform of the Northern Water Tribe, and I was yanked up as they forced me through the damaged gates of the tribe. Tears started to pull to my eyes as I saw the wounded or dead warriors around me, and I even shed a few tears for the dead fire nation soldiers. Zhao and uncle walked on not even glancing at the dead, and I tried to do the same. There were so many though.

As we got farther into the tribe, I was horror struck at how damaged everything was. The snowy homes were blasted to bits, and some of the icy bridges were in two. Children and women screamed from their homes as soldiers burned through their walls to get to them. Warriors ran to stop the soldiers from reaching the women and children, and another fight broke out between the two.

"Enjoying the show?" Zhao suddenly asked, turning as he walked on to grin at me.

Glaring daggers at him, I hissed, "The spirits will never forgive you for all the lives you've destroyed today."

Zhao laughed harshly. "The spirits! I could care less about the spirits! If I did then I'd be weak!"

Uncle closed his eyes, shaking his head in disbelief.

Eventually we arrived at a snow wall with a circular door. Zhao walked up to the door with a grin. "Finally... After years of searching, I've finally found you." Then he yanked the wooden door open and stepped inside. We all followed, ducking our heads as we stepped through the doorway. When we got through we found ourselves in a beautiful oasis.

Gasping, I looked at the grass with flowers and plants that no one would imagine to grow in such a cold place. As we got closer I felt the warmth from the unnatural room, and I saw a beautiful wooden shrine that appeared to be set up for the spirits of the ocean and the moon. When we stepped closer, I saw a small pond that had two fish swimming in circles.

"_Amber! You must stop Zhao! He plans on killing the moon spirit!" _Roku shouted in my head.

My eyes shot to the white fish in the pond that circled in harmony with the black fish. "Yin and Yang," I whispered, realization hitting me before even my uncle. Looking up at Zhao, I saw him staring at the fish too. "Stop Zhao! You can't do this!" I cried, struggling in my captors holds.

Zhao looked over at me in surprise. "How do you know what I'm about to do? Do you have mind reading abilities too, you freak?"

Glaring daggers at him, I felt my hands steam up as I spat, "Roku told me!"

Everyone froze by my words, and I saw uncle smile when I said this. He knew about the bracelet. He knew about Roku and my connection.

"What! You're lying," Zhao spat, suddenly in front of me and grabbing my neck. His hold constricted my airway and I choked as he tightened his hold. "There's no way Roku told you. You can't talk to a dead man."

My throat was in pain and my lungs burned from lack of air.

"Zhao! That's enough!" Uncle shouted, and Zhao sneered releasing me. Coughing loudly, I tried to breath in the much needed air and felt the burn in my lungs slowly fade.

"We'll discuss this one later," he spat, then turned back to the pond. It was then uncle began to understand what Zhao was doing, because I saw his own body tense. Zhao pulled a clothe bag out of his armor and then reached down grabbing the white fish whose spirit name was Tui. As he placed the fish in a bag, I watched with terror the moon become red as the balance was thrown off.

"NO!" I cried, struggling even harder in my captors hold. "Stop Zhao! If you kill that spirit, this world will go into chaos! The waterbenders aren't the only people who need the moon spirit! We all do!"

Zhao laughed. "The only thing fire benders need is the sun!" He then raised his hands up to the sky above. "I am a legend now! The Fire Nation will for generations tell stories about the great Zhao who darkened the moon! They will call me Zhao the Conqueror! Zhao the Moon Slayer! ZHAO THE INVINCIBLE!"

Something suddenly jumped on Zhao's head and from the light of the moon I saw it was Momo. He yanked on Zhao's hair as he struggled to get him off. "Momo!" I cried in relief, then took Zhao's distraction and shot my flames at the soldiers holding me. They flew from me hitting the grassy earth hard. Then I charged at Zhao as Momo flew off. As I went attack him, turned to me with a quick jerk of his body and smashed his foot into my face. The impact of his boot to my head sent me falling on the ground.

"I told you not to fight me!" Zhao yelled kicking me hard in my already broken ribs. Gasping in pain, I tried to pick myself up.

"Amber!" A cry rang from above, and I looked up in shock to see Appa flying toward us and Kale looking at me with terror. Zhao suddenly yanked me up and grabbed me around the arms restraining me with the hand holding the struggling spirit.

"Don't bother," Zhao spat as Sokka, Katara, Aang, and Kale jumped off of Appa. Then he pulled my knife from earlier out of his armor sheath and held it to the bag.

Aang jumped back dropping his staff just as he was about to attack. "Zhao, don't!" Aang cried.

Zhao tightened his hold on me making me cry out from the pain in my ribs. "It's my destiny... to destroy the moon... and the Water Tribe!"

"Destroying the moon won't just hurt the Water Tribe. It will hurt everyone – including you. Without the moon, everything would fall out of balance. You have no idea what kind of chaos that would unleash on the world," Aang said, pretty much summing up what I said earlier.

"He is right Zhao," my uncle suddenly spoke up.

Zhao sighed. "General Iroh, why am I not surprised to discover your treachery?"

Trying to heat my hands up again, Zhao noticed and sliced my arm with the knife in his hand causing me to scream. "Stop!" Katara cried, clutching her hair in distraught over the pain I was feeling.

Uncle tried to draw attention away from me so Zhao wouldn't hurt me again. "I'm no traitor, Zhao, the Fire Nation needs the moon too. We all depend on the balance! Whatever you do to that spirit, I'll unleash on you ten-fold! Let it go now!"

Zhao was tense by Iroh's words, then I felt his grip on me loosen. With a sigh, he let me go and I fell on the ground weakly too exhausted to stand. "Amber!" Katara cried, trying to run over to me. A soldier stepped in front of her blocking my sister from getting to me.

Looking back at Zhao, I saw him put the fish back in the pond and the moon turned white once more. A sigh escaped me, relieved by what occurred. It wasn't over though. Zhao was so overcome by determination and rage, that he shot fire straight at the fish and the great spirit Tui died. As the spirit died, the moon went black with it. Now the only light was from the fire of the burning tribe we were in.

"No!" I screamed, just as Iroh began to attack the soldiers around us. Just as I was about to stand and run to my friends, I felt Zhao grab my shirt and yank me up. Then he began to pull me out of the oasis back through the door. Screaming and thrashing, I tried to fire at him as he pulled me along through the broken and inflamed Northern Water Tribe. "You murderer! You monster! You've destroyed this world!"

Zhao growled and dug his knife into my side making me gasp and scream in pain. "Shut up, or the next time it's going straight in and you'll surely die!" Then he yanked the knife out and I felt blood soak my shirt.

Tears flowed freely down my cheeks as he pulled me along through the water tribe. Eventually we reached a bridge that hadn't been destroyed and started to walk over it.

"ZHAO! LET HER GO!" A loud and enraged voice echoed across the dark air. Zhao turned us enough so that from the light of the flames I saw Zuko standing on the bridge, his own fire lit in his hands. Zhao growled and shoved me on the snowy bridge, and I welcomed the cold as it surrounded my body.

"You tried to have me killed!" Zuko spat, and I opened my eyes enough to see him walk toward us and shoot fire at Zhao.

He quickly dodged the flames, then shot a blast back at Zuko. "Yes I did," he spat. "You're the blue spirit- and enemy of the fire nation! You freed the girl!"

Zuko shouted, "She's my little sister! I had no choice!"

"Zuko," I whispered, trying to stand to help him, but my body was too worn and agonized to move.

"You should have chosen to accept your failure- your disgrace! Maybe then you could have lived!" Zhao jumped forward and shot a volley of fire at Zuko who quickly blocked it. When Zuko tried to regain his balance, Zhao grabbed me up once more and held me to him. Then he held a blazing hot flame near my face. Screams escaped me as I felt the heat lick at my cheek.

Zuko growled. "Stop this Zhao! You've hurt her enough!"

My captor spat, "Then turn and leave, or I'll kill her!"

As they glared daggers at one another, I silently asked Roku to give me on last burst of strength.

_Of course, _he whispered in my head, and then I felt it. A surge of strength shot through me as Roku gave me power. I silently thanked him and then threw my head back. It connected with Zhao's chin and he fell back in the snow releasing me. Then I turned swiftly and held my glowing hands in front of me as I stared at the terrified man with rage.

"You'll pay for everything," I hissed, ready to get my revenge. Lighting a purple flame, I threw it at Zhao and it hit him in the arm causing him to holler in agony. Zuko came beside me, his eyes wide as he stared at my glowing body. Ignoring him, I stepped over a cringing Zhao lighting another flame. "How does it feel Zhao! How does being burned and humiliated feel to you?!" Tears fell down my cheeks as I fired another blast at him. It hit him in the leg and he screamed as it burned his skin.

My mind was too clouded by hatred and rage to care if killed Zhao here and now. Something stopped me though. A warm embrace wrapped around my glowing body, and I felt the rage and fire inside me begin to simmer. "Stop Amber... Don't do it... This isn't you," Zuko whispered, and I felt my crazed mind calm down. As this happened the glow around me began to fade and I started to feel the strength holding me up fade.

Zuko caught me as I slumped to the ground, and I felt him lie me down in the snow. "Just hang in there... I'll take care of him. You've done enough," he whispered, and I winced as the previous pain came back to me. Opening my eyes weakly, I stared up at the sky as Zhao and Zuko continued to fight. That's when I saw the white moon above, and I smiled to myself. The balance had returned...

"No! It can't be!" Zhao cried, knowing his plan had failed.

Then to my shock, I saw a bright glowing water creature emerge from the water below. Looking inside the enormous beast, I saw Aang was in a glowing orb. He'd gone into his avatar state.

The creature suddenly reached with watery hands toward Zhao and Zuko. I knew Aang wouldn't come after me, so without another thought, I jumped up with the last amount of energy I had and grabbed onto Zuko. He caught me as I began to fall again, but to my relief the watery hand went around the two of us toward Zhao. It grabbed onto him as he tried to run, then held him in the air for a moment. Zuko pressed my face to his chest, and I closed my eyes as I heard Zhao's screams until they were silenced by a loud splash.

It was over. Zhao was dead. The man that took me away from everything was gone, and I felt as if the chains around me were broken and I was finally free. That's when I finally let unconsciousness take me again.

**Third Person**

Zuko caught his sister as she slumped over in his arms. Kneeling on the ground so he could lay her body down, he had a better look at her condition. She had blood covering her shirt from a knife stabbing, and there was a slice in her forearm where blood was seeping through her sleeve. Her side was swollen from what Zuko could assume were broken ribs, and she bruises all over her face and whatever skin he could see.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, holding her close to him. She felt so thin and frail, and her breathing was weak as she lost more and more blood. Zuko knew he had to get her to her friends. He understood it was the only way to save her. Though he didn't want to ever let his little sister go again, he knew it was best for her. "You'll be okay," Zuko said, pulling her into his arms. This only made him worry more. She was so light, and he feared she was fading way to fast.

Racing away from the bridge, he ran across the damaged tribe back toward the oasis they'd once been in. Amber was so easy to carry in his arms, and he soon felt her blood soak into his shirt. "No! Please don't let it be too late!"

That was when Zuko spotted her. The water bender whom Amber called sister. He quickly ran over to her and she looked his way with shock. Then she got into a stance shouting, "You! What are you-" She stopped when she saw the limp body in his arms.

"No... Amber!" She cried, then ran over. She could see the blood dripping from her sisters side and arm, and she could hear the weak breaths that came from her mouth. Zuko placed her in the snow, then backed away as Katara knelt beside her.

"Please... Help her... She trusts you," Zuko whispered, then he turned and ran.

Katara watched the fire nation prince run off with surprise. He must have really love Amber to carry her over here. Without thinking too much into it, Katara pulled some water from the snow around her and held it over Amber's side trying to heal the bleeding. Amber wasn't responsive, and this worried Katara. As she stopped the bleeding, she expected her to make some response or movement, but Amber was out cold.

Footsteps suddenly raced toward them, and Katara looked over in surprise. Kale had come, and his eyes stared in horror at the sight before him. His one and only love was on the ground, as pale as a ghost. The snow around her was stained red with her blood, and she seemed to be having trouble breathing. Katara continued to try and heal her the best she could.

"We have to get her back to the oasis where it's warm. It's better for her there," Katara said, knowing she'd done all she could for her. Kale immediately pulled the weak broken body in his arms, then turned and began to walk her back toward the oasis. Katara followed behind with tears for her sister.

**Amber POV**

It was so strange, how a second ago I was in so much pain, and now I felt numb on the inside. My eyes were heavy, and my body wouldn't move as I tried to come back to reality. For hours- or so I thought it was hours- I tried to pull myself out of the dark fog of nothingness, and eventually I found myself coming out of the fog into a somewhat haze.

"She's healing fine... Kale chill... Sokka, stop pacing... She moved!" Voices echoed in my head, and I tried to name them all. My mind couldn't figure out of the voices were male or female, nor could they place name to them. "It's not working... Hand me more water... Thank goodness her colors coming back." The voices continued and I wanted them to continue. If I could grasp to them and stay on what was real, I could escape the fog holding me down and find freedom from it's strong chains.

"Please wake up... I love you too much to lose you," a male voice whispered in my ear. Kale... It had to be Kale.

Warm lips pressed against my forehead, and I screamed inside with joy. I could feel him. I could feel Kale. The fog fell farther away from me, and it was only then I began to feel it. Pain... My body was in pain.

Shooting my eyes open in shock, I cried out as my side burned. "Amber!" Kale cried, jumping back from me as I thrashed to hit him. He grabbed my wrists and pinned them both to the bed. Sobs escaped me as I felt the aches radiate all over my muscles and bones.

"It's okay... You're safe... Please calm down," Kale said, and I felt my body still as his words calmed my racing heart. Then my sobs ceased and I looked into his soft brown eyes taking in their familiar color. "That's right... Everything's okay now... No one will hurt you anymore..."

Kale's words were the last thing I heard before exhaustion took me over again.

When I came to this time, I was much more in tune with my surroundings and senses than before. Though my body was aching and my head felt heavy, I managed to open my eyes and take in my surroundings. It appeared I was in a massive room of snow with large blankets covering my body. My head was on a soft pillow and my body lied on a comfortable cot.

Weakly I found a way to sit up, and I let my blankets fall from my body. It was then I noticed my chest was bandaged and the only thing I wore was trousers. Dried blood covered my side, and I saw faded bruises from the area my ribs were still sore. The two bracelets on my wrist felt cool against my skin, and I pressed my hand against the blue and gold bracelets with relief. Thank goodness I didn't lose them.

With weak legs, I managed to move to the side of the cot and touch my toes on the cold floor. Standing, I almost fell to the ground but caught myself on the cot. Wincing from the way my ribs cried out from the fall, I stood more slowly this time. Then I walked to the open doorway of the room I stood in, and I shivered violently as a cold wind hit my exposed body.

"She's awake!" Someone suddenly cried, and I looked over to see two guys coming toward me. It was only after a second I realized it was Sokka and Kale, both of them coming toward me with relief.

Sokka yanked his coat off when they got close and he placed it over my bare shoulders. "We were do worried. You've been out for three days."

Three days?! It had been three days! It only felt like a few hours.

"Let's get her back to the room. She looks like she can barely stand," Kale said, concerned I would fall.

"I'm fine," I promised, my throat really dry from three days of no water. "I'm just really thirsty."

Kale and Sokka helped me back onto the cot, then placed blankets back over my body. Sokka said something about getting me water and something to eat, while Kale pulled up a wooden stool to sit beside me.

"What happened?" I asked weakly, staring at him with loss. "Last thing I remember is Zhao being pulled into the icy waters below the bridge."

Kale smiled weakly. "Your brother carried you to Katara begging her to save you. You were so weak, and Katara worked for hours trying to stop the bleeding in your side and arm. By this point Zuko was already gone. We carefully carried you to the oasis where Katara did most of her work. Then when you were well enough to be moved, Sokka and I managed to carry you to the palace where the chief led us to this room. You've been in here for three days."

"The moon," I said softly. "How did you guys bring it back?"

Kale sighed. "Yue sacrificed herself for the moon spirit. She had been given life from the moon spirit when she was a baby, so she gave life back to it. She died three days ago. Sokka's been mourning on the side lines, but he knows Yue's safe and watching over us in the moon above."

My eyes widened at his words. "No... Why would she-"

"She made her choice... It was hard for both her and Sokka, but they knew it had to be done."

My heart ached for the loss of such a good friend. It wasn't fair... She was just a sixteen year old girl with so much future ahead.

_Yue..._ I thought to myself, my heart calling out to my good friend. _Thank you for your sacrifice._

Then I said to Roku, _Watch over her.._

Roku whispered in my head, _"She is in good hands."_

"Amber?" My eyes darted back to Kale, and I saw him smile weakly. "I know your sad by this news, but don't let it hurt you so much. Yue's safe."

Nodding, I wiped away the tears that fell from my eyes.

A week past till finally I was back to my strength. Katara helped me bathe to get the dried blood and dirt stains off my body and hair, then she helped me put on a warm shirt and some blue trousers. The chief was holding a celebration in honor of everyone's bravery, the tribes victory, and to bless his daughter, the moon.

At the celebration, I was personally thanked by the chief in front of everyone. He thanked me for my bravery in leading the warriors, and for getting them back safely to the tribe. When he said this I scanned the crowed in surprise to see Hahn was okay. That was a shocker.

Later that night, after the festivities died down and we all made our way back to the place we were staying in now (our original place was blown to smithereens by a fire ball), we all plopped down on our cots with a smile.

"Well... I guess now we find you an earth bending teacher," Katara said to Aang.

Aang nodded, then looked over at me with a grin. "Then after I find an earth bending teacher, I already have a fire bending teacher." My face beamed at his words. He wanted me as his fire bending teacher? "Maybe you can teach me how to bend purple fire."

"Yeah... Maybe," I said, though we both knew Aang was kidding.

Everyone then began to discuss the party, and I saw Kale scoot closer to me. As he sat beside me, I leaned against him and let his arms encircle me. "I love you so much," he whispered.

Smiling, I turned my body so that I was facing him. "I love you too," I whispered, and this time I meant and felt it. I loved Kale. Leaning forward, I kissed him on the lips and he pulled me to him kissing me back. At that moment, I felt as if I had finally found peace. Everything was perfect.


	22. AN: Sequel!

**A/N: So I'm starting the sequel to this. It will be called "Burning Spirit". I already have the first chapter and I'm working on the second. The summary is:**

**~~Amber continues to travel with the avatar and her family helping Aang seek an earth bending teacher, while at the same time she tries to discover why she was given these strange unnatural abilities. Follow her as she learns things about her past and discovers more about herself.~~**

**Hope you all read it and review. I'd like to give a special thanks to everyone who reviewed and those who favorited and are following my story. You're interest and commitment in what I'm writing is a huge encouragement for me to continue in this work, so thanks for reading and the advice you've given. I love advice. ;)**

**~faithy waithy**


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